CVE-2021-43271
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 · uneditedRiverbed AppResponse 11.8.0, 11.8.5, 11.8.5a, 11.9.0, 11.9.0a, 11.10.0, 11.11.0, 11.11.0a, 11.11.1, 11.11.1a, 11.11.5, and 11.11.5a (when configured to use local, RADIUS, or TACACS authentication) logs usernames and passwords if either is entered incorrectly. If a user enters an incorrect username and/or password when logging into the WebUI, these attempted credentials are included in an error message that is logged in the WebUI log file. A log entry does not appear if the username and password provided correctly match a valid set of credentials. This also does not happen if AppResponse is configured to use SAML authentication. The WebUI log file is included in subsequent diagnostic system dumps that are generated. (Only users with Full Control access to the System Configuration permission can generate system dumps. By default, only System Administrators have Full Control access to the System Configuration permission.)
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 confidenceRiverbed AppResponse versions 11.8.0-11.11.5a log plaintext usernames and passwords in the WebUI log file when users enter incorrect credentials during login. These logged credentials are then included in diagnostic system dumps that can be generated by users with Full Control access to System Configuration.
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= 11.8.0= 11.8.5= 11.8.5a= 11.9.0= 11.9.0a= 11.10.0= 11.11.0= 11.11.0a= 11.11.1= 11.11.1a= 11.11.5= 11.11.5aCVSS 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
- High
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/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 AppResponse versionRun 'show version' or access the System Information page in the AppResponse WebUI to determine the exact version numberAffected if The version matches one of the following: 11.8.0, 11.8.5, 11.8.5a, 11.9.0, 11.9.0a, 11.10.0, 11.11.0, 11.11.0a, 11.11.1, 11.11.1a, 11.11.5, or 11.11.5a
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Inspect WebUI log files for plaintext credentialsLocate and review the WebUI log file (typically in /var/log/ or accessible via the WebUI logs section) and search for patterns containing username and password strings in plaintextAffected if Log entries contain plaintext usernames and passwords from failed login attempts
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Check for diagnostic system dumpsAccess the System Configuration diagnostics or support section in the WebUI and look for any generated system dump files, or check the filesystem for dump archivesAffected if Diagnostic dumps exist and were generated after failed login attempts occurred
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Examine dump contents for sensitive dataIf diagnostic dumps exist, extract and search within them for plaintext credential strings matching login usernames and passwordsAffected if Dump files contain plaintext username and password values from WebUI authentication events
You are affected if your AppResponse version is between 11.8.0 and 11.11.5a and either WebUI logs or diagnostic dumps contain plaintext credentials from failed login attempts.
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 dataUpgrade to a patched version beyond 11.11.5a, or ensure diagnostic system dumps are restricted and monitored, or migrate to SAML authentication which is not affected.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,880.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-43271 — 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-2021-43271 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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