CVE-2021-40341
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedDES cipher, which has inadequate encryption strength, is used Hitachi Energy FOXMAN-UN to encrypt user credentials used to access the Network Elements. Successful exploitation allows sensitive information to be decrypted easily. This issue affects * FOXMAN-UN product: FOXMAN-UN R16A, FOXMAN-UN R15B, FOXMAN-UN R15A, FOXMAN-UN R14B, FOXMAN-UN R14A, FOXMAN-UN R11B, FOXMAN-UN R11A, FOXMAN-UN R10C, FOXMAN-UN R9C; * UNEM product: UNEM R16A, UNEM R15B, UNEM R15A, UNEM R14B, UNEM R14A, UNEM R11B, UNEM R11A, UNEM R10C, UNEM R9C. List of CPEs: * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R16A:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R15B:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R15A:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R14B:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R14A:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R11B:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R11A:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R10C:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:foxman-un:R9C:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R16A:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R15B:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R15A:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R14B:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R14A:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R11B:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R11A:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R10C:*:*:*:*:*:*:* * cpe:2.3:a:hitachienergy:unem:R9C:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceHitachi Energy FOXMAN-UN and UNEM products use the weak DES encryption algorithm (56-bit key) to encrypt user credentials for accessing Network Elements. DES is cryptographically weak by modern standards and can be easily brute-forced, allowing attackers to decrypt stored credentials and gain unauthorized access.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= r9c= r10c= r11a= r11b= r14a= r14b= r15a= r15b= r16a= r9c= r10c= r11a= r11b= r14a= r14b= r15a= r15b= r16aCVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed product versionCheck the FOXMAN-UN or UNEM product version through the web interface, command line, or system information file. Common locations include the system status page or a version/info file in the installation directory.Affected if The installed version matches any of: r9c, r10c, r11a, r11b, r14a, r14b, r15a, r15b, or r16a
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Locate stored credential filesSearch for credential storage locations such as user configuration files, database files, or credential vaults where Network Element access credentials are stored. Look for files with names like credentials, users, auth, or similar in the application data directory.Affected if Credential storage files exist and contain encrypted user credentials for Network Elements
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Identify encryption algorithm usedExamine the credential storage files or configuration to determine the encryption method. Check configuration files for encryption settings, or analyze the encrypted data patterns to identify the DES cipher (8-byte block size, recognizable DES ciphertext patterns).Affected if The encryption algorithm used for storing Network Element credentials is DES or the configuration explicitly specifies DES for credential encryption
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Verify DES key lengthIf DES encryption is confirmed, verify that the 56-bit key is in use. This typically manifests as 8-byte key values in configuration or as 8-byte encrypted blocks in stored credential files.Affected if DES with a 56-bit key is being used to encrypt the stored credentials
A user is affected if their FOXMAN-UN or UNEM installation uses DES encryption to store Network Element credentials and runs any of the listed versions.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataReplace DES with a modern symmetric encryption algorithm (e.g., AES-256) and re-encrypt all stored credentials. Consider credential rotation for potentially compromised accounts.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation20.0 h
- Testing10.0 h
- Review / QA5.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-40341 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-40341 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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