OpenofficeApplication · Apache
CVE-2021-41832
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 · uneditedIt is possible for an attacker to manipulate documents to appear to be signed by a trusted source. All versions of Apache OpenOffice up to 4.1.10 are affected. Users are advised to update to version 4.1.11. See CVE-2021-25635 for the LibreOffice advisory.
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 confidenceApache OpenOffice contains a signature verification flaw allowing attackers to manipulate documents to appear signed by trusted sources. This enables document spoofing where malicious documents bypass authenticity checks. The vulnerability stems from improper validation of digital signatures in the affected versions.
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
OpenofficeApplication
< 4.1.11CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/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.
-
Check if Apache OpenOffice is installedOn Windows, check Program Files for Apache Software Foundation folder or look for OpenOffice in installed programs. On Linux, run 'dpkg -l | grep openoffice' or 'rpm -qa | grep openoffice'. On macOS, check /Applications for OpenOffice.app.Affected if OpenOffice is installed on the system
-
Determine the installed OpenOffice versionOpen Apache OpenOffice, then go to Help > About OpenOffice. The version number will be displayed in the dialog. Alternatively, check the product version in the installation directory or package manager.Affected if Version shown is below 4.1.11 (such as 4.1.10, 4.1.9, etc.)
-
Identify use of digital signature featuresLook for any documents in the environment that contain digital signatures, or check user workflows that involve opening signed .odt, .ods, .odp documents. Review any templates or processes that rely on signature validation for document authenticity.Affected if Users regularly open or create digitally signed documents using OpenOffice
-
Verify signature validation behaviorOpen a signed document in Apache OpenOffice and check if the digital signature is recognized and displayed. Try to modify a signed document and observe if signature warnings appear or if the signature remains valid after changes.Affected if Signatures appear valid even when documents have been altered, or no warning is shown when signatures should be invalid
You are affected if Apache OpenOffice is installed with a version below 4.1.11 and users process digitally signed documents that could be manipulated to appear authentic.
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 · scoped4.1.11
Update Apache OpenOffice to version 4.1.11 or later. Additionally, verify document signatures through secondary channels and exercise caution with documents from untrusted sources, even those appearing signed.
Apache OpenOffice 4.1.11
- Back up any important documents and settings before upgrading
- Download Apache OpenOffice version 4.1.11 from the official Apache OpenOffice download page (https://www.openoffice.org/download/)
- Uninstall the current version of Apache OpenOffice from your system
- Install Apache OpenOffice 4.1.11 using the downloaded installer
- After installation, verify the version by opening OpenOffice and checking Help > About Apache OpenOffice shows version 4.1.11
- Re-apply any custom settings or extensions that were previously configured
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Openoffice
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,376.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-41832 — 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-2021-41832 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