CVE-2021-41573
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 · uneditedHitachi Content Platform Anywhere (HCP-AW) 4.4.5 and later allows information disclosure. If authenticated user creates a link to a file or folder while the system was running version 4.3.x or earlier and then shares the link and then later deletes the file or folder without deleting the link and before the link expires. If the system has been upgraded to version 4.4.5 or 4.5.0 a malicious user with the link could browse and download all files of the authenticated user that created the link .
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 Content Platform Anywhere (HCP-AW) versions 4.4.5 and later suffer from an information disclosure vulnerability. When a user creates a shared link to a file or folder while running version 4.3.x or earlier, then deletes the file/folder without removing the link, and the system is subsequently upgraded to 4.4.5/4.5.0, any malicious actor with the original link can browse and download all files belonging to the user who created the link. This is a broken access control issue where link persistence across upgrades exposes unauthorized file 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>= 4.4.5CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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.
-
Identify installed HCP-AW versionAccess the system administration interface or run the version check command provided by HCP-AW to retrieve the current installed versionAffected if The installed version is 4.4.5 or later (including 4.5.0)
-
Locate shared links created before upgrade to 4.4.5Query the shared link management system or database for links with creation timestamps prior to the upgrade date, or review shared link metadata to identify links created in version 4.3.x or earlierAffected if Any shared links exist that were created when the system was running version 4.3.x or earlier
-
Verify shared link target existenceCross-reference the identified pre-4.4.5 shared links against the current file/folder inventory to determine if the original linked files or folders were deleted while the links remain activeAffected if Orphaned shared links exist where the original file or folder was deleted but the link was not invalidated
-
Review post-upgrade access patternsExamine system access logs for shared link access events occurring after the upgrade to 4.4.5 or later, focusing on requests using the old pre-4.4.5 linksAffected if Access attempts are logged using shared links that were created prior to the upgrade, potentially indicating unauthorized file browsing or downloads
A user is affected if their HCP-AW installation is version 4.4.5 or later AND there exist orphaned shared links originally created in version 4.3.x or earlier, allowing potential unauthorized access to the link creator's files.
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 dataOrganizations should upgrade to the latest patched version of HCP-AW and invalidate any shared links created in versions 4.3.x or earlier that may have orphaned file references. Additionally, conduct access logs review to identify any unauthorized access attempts using old shared links.
- Consultation8.0 h
- Implementation24.0 h
- Testing20.0 h
- Review / QA8.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $16,576.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-41573 — 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-2021-41573 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- 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