Alfresco Content ServicesApplication · Alfresco

CVE-2021-41790

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-10-21
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 7.0.1.2 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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 · unedited
An issue was discovered in Hyland org.alfresco:alfresco-content-services through 7.0.1.2. Script Action execution allows executing scripts uploaded outside of the Data Dictionary. This could allow a logged-in attacker to execute arbitrary code inside a sandboxed environment.

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 confidence

In Alfresco Content Services through 7.0.1.2, the Script Action feature fails to properly validate that scripts are located within the Data Dictionary before execution. This allows authenticated attackers to upload malicious scripts to arbitrary locations outside the protected Data Dictionary and execute them via the Script Action, effectively bypassing the intended sandboxing controls.

MitigationRestrict Script Action execution to only allow scripts located within the Data Dictionary by implementing proper path validation checks before script execution, rejecting any scripts located outside the protected directory.

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
Alfresco Content ServicesApplication
Affected:>= 5.0.0.0, <= 5.2.7.11>= 6.0.0.0, <= 6.0.1.9>= 6.1.0.0, <= 6.1.1.10>= 6.2.0.0, <= 6.2.2.18>= 7.0.1.0, <= 7.0.1.2= 7.0= 7.0.0.1= 7.0.0.2

CVSS 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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed Alfresco Content Services version
    Access the Alfresco admin console or check the WAR file version information, typically found in the About section of Share or via the /alfresco/service/api/admin/about endpoint
    Affected if The installed version falls within any of these ranges: 5.0.0.0 to 5.2.7.11, 6.0.0.0 to 6.0.1.9, 6.1.0.0 to 6.1.1.10, 6.2.0.0 to 6.2.2.18, 7.0.1.0 to 7.0.1.2, or is exactly 7.0, 7.0.0.1, or 7.0.0.2
  2. Verify Script Action feature is accessible
    Check if the Script Action feature is enabled in the Alfresco administration console under Workflows and Tasks or Script Actions configuration
    Affected if The Script Action feature is enabled and available to authenticated users in the environment
  3. Confirm path validation is missing for script execution
    Attempt to execute a test script located in a folder outside the Data Dictionary (for example, in a regular site document library) using the Script Action feature to see if execution is allowed
    Affected if Scripts located outside the Data Dictionary can be executed via the Script Action feature without being rejected or blocked

The environment is affected if the installed Alfresco version is within the affected ranges AND the Script Action feature is accessible AND scripts outside the Data Dictionary can be executed without path validation blocking them.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 7.0.1.2
Interim mitigation

Restrict Script Action execution to only allow scripts located within the Data Dictionary by implementing proper path validation checks before script execution, rejecting any scripts located outside the protected directory.

Fix this in Alfresco Content Services Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,224.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-41790 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-41790 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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