CVE-2021-42811
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 · uneditedImproper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') vulnerability in SafeNet KeySecure allows an authenticated user to read arbitrary files from the underlying system on which the product is deployed.
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 · moderate confidenceA path traversal vulnerability in SafeNet KeySecure allows authenticated users to manipulate file path references (e.g., using '../' sequences) to escape the restricted directory and read arbitrary files from the host system's file system.
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<= 8.12.4CVSS 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.
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Identify SafeNet KeySecure installationLocate the KeySecure appliance or software installation. Check system inventory or running services for 'KeySecure', 'Keysecure', or 'Safenet' components.Affected if The system is running Thalesgroup Safenet KeySecure software.
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Determine installed versionAccess the KeySecure admin interface or run: grep -i version /etc/*release or check theAbout/System Info page in the management console.Affected if The installed version is 8.12.4 or any earlier version.
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Verify file access feature is enabledCheck if the file backup/restore or file export functionality is accessible in the admin panel. Look for features named 'File Backup', 'Export Configuration', or similar file operations.Affected if The file operation features are accessible to authenticated administrators.
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Inspect file path parameters for validationIf you have access to logs or can test input, examine whether the application validates file path inputs. Check configuration files in /opt/keysecure/etc/ for path validation settings.Affected if No input validation is performed on file path parameters, or '../' sequences are not filtered.
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Review authentication configurationConfirm that user authentication is enabled and check which user roles have access to file operation features. Examine /opt/keysecure/etc/auth* or the user management section.Affected if Authenticated users with file access privileges exist and can submit file path requests.
A system is affected if it runs SafeNet KeySecure version 8.12.4 or earlier and allows authenticated users to access file operation features without proper path traversal validation.
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 dataApply vendor-supplied patches for SafeNet KeySecure; if no patch is available, implement input validation on file path parameters, restrict application service account file system permissions, and apply network segmentation to limit exposure.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-42811 — 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-2021-42811 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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