CVE-2021-40385
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered in the server software in Kaseya Unitrends Backup Software before 10.5.5-2. There is a privilege escalation from read-only user to admin.
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 confidenceKaseya Unitrends Backup Software before version 10.5.5-2 contains a privilege escalation vulnerability allowing read-only users to elevate their privileges to administrator level. This is a server-side authorization bypass in the backup software's user management functionality.
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< 10.5.5-2CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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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Check installed Kaseya Unitrends Backup Software versionLocate the version information for your Kaseya Unitrends Backup Software installation through the software's about panel, help menu, or system information interface. This is typically found in the administration console under System or Settings.Affected if The installed version is any release before 10.5.5-2 (for example, 10.5.5-1, 10.5.4, 10.x.x, or earlier)
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Identify read-only user accountsAccess the user management section of the Kaseya Unitrends Backup Software administration console and review the list of defined user accounts. Note which accounts are assigned read-only or limited user roles.Affected if There are one or more user accounts configured with read-only or limited access permissions in the system
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Verify authorization behavior for read-only usersLog in to the backup software using a read-only user account. Attempt to access administrative functions such as user management, system configuration, backup job creation/modification, or other privileged operations. Document which admin functions are accessible.Affected if A read-only user account can successfully access, modify, or perform administrative functions that should be restricted to administrator-level users
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Inspect user role permissions configurationIn the administration console, navigate to the user roles or permissions configuration area. Review the permission mappings for read-only roles to determine if authorization checks are properly enforced for privileged operations.Affected if The read-only role configuration shows elevated permissions or the authorization checks for admin functions appear to be bypassed
Your environment is affected if the installed Kaseya Unitrends Backup Software version is below 10.5.5-2 AND read-only user accounts can successfully access or perform administrator-level functions in the software.
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.
dbcve · scoped10.5.5-2
Upgrade Kaseya Unitrends Backup Software to version 10.5.5-2 or later to remediate the vulnerability. Verify that read-only user accounts cannot access admin functions post-upgrade.
10.5.5-2 or later
- Upgrade Unitrends Backup Software to version 10.5.5-2 or later to remediate the privilege escalation vulnerability
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-40385 — 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-2021-40385 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data