dbcve.org
Jira Data CenterApplication · Atlassian

CVE-2021-43946

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-01-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.13.21 / 8.20.9 or later.
See remediation →
71/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Affected versions of Atlassian Jira Server and Data Center allow authenticated remote attackers to add administrator groups to filter subscriptions via a Broken Access Control vulnerability in the /secure/EditSubscription.jspa endpoint. The affected versions are before version 8.13.21, and from version 8.14.0 before 8.20.9.

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

This is a Broken Access Control vulnerability in Atlassian Jira Server and Data Center's /secure/EditSubscription.jspa endpoint. Authenticated remote attackers can exploit this flaw to add administrator groups to filter subscriptions, potentially escalating privileges or gaining unauthorized administrative access. The vulnerability affects versions before 8.13.21 and from 8.14.0 before 8.20.9.

MitigationUpgrade Jira Server or Data Center to version 8.20.9 or later (or 8.13.21 or later) to patch this vulnerability. Additionally, review user account security and limit access to administrative functions to reduce the risk from compromised credentials.

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
Jira Data CenterApplication
Affected:< 8.13.21>= 8.14.0, < 8.20.9
Jira ServerApplication
Affected:< 8.13.21>= 8.14.0, < 8.20.9

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
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 checks

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

  1. Retrieve the installed Jira version
    Access the Jira REST API endpoint /rest/api/2/serverInfo or view the 'About' page in the Jira administration console to identify the exact version number
    Affected if Unable to retrieve version or version is unknown
  2. Compare the version against affected ranges
    Check if the installed version falls into these ranges: version < 8.13.21, OR version >= 8.14.0 but < 8.20.9. For example, 8.13.20, 8.14.0, 8.18.0, or 8.20.8 would all be in the affected range
    Affected if The installed version matches either < 8.13.21 or >= 8.14.0 and < 8.20.9
  3. Confirm Jira deployment type
    Verify whether the instance is Jira Server or Jira Data Center using the serverInfo API response which indicates the deployment type
    Affected if Both Server and Data Center deployments with versions in the affected ranges are vulnerable

If the installed Jira version is less than 8.13.21, or is 8.14.0 through 8.20.8, the environment is affected by this vulnerability.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 8.13.21 / 8.20.9 or later
Fixed in 8.13.218.20.9
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Jira Server or Data Center to version 8.20.9 or later (or 8.13.21 or later) to patch this vulnerability. Additionally, review user account security and limit access to administrative functions to reduce the risk from compromised credentials.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Jira Server/Data Center 8.13.21 or 8.20.9 or later

  1. Backup your Jira Data Center/Server instance and database before proceeding
  2. Ensure you have a rollback plan in case of issues
  3. Download the appropriate installer for your operating system from Atlassian's official website
  4. Stop your Jira application service
  5. Install the upgrade to version 8.20.9 or later (or 8.13.21 if staying on the 8.13.x line)
  6. Start your Jira application service
  7. Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the application health and version number in the administration console
  8. Test that the /secure/EditSubscription.jspa endpoint behaves as expected with proper access controls
Caveat Review Atlassian's upgrade notes for any configuration or compatibility changes between your current version and the target version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Jira Data Center Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-43946 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2021-43946 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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.

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