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Data CenterApplication · Atlassian

CVE-2021-43947

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-01-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.13.15 / 8.20.3 or later.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
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 remote attackers with administrator privileges to execute arbitrary code via a Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability in the Email Templates feature. This issue bypasses the fix of https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/JSDSERVER-8665. The affected versions are before version 8.13.15, and from version 8.14.0 before 8.20.3.

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 Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability in Atlassian Jira Server and Data Center's Email Templates feature. Attackers with administrator privileges can bypass a previous fix (JSDSERVER-8665) to execute arbitrary code on the affected system. The vulnerability affects Jira versions before 8.13.15 and from 8.14.0 before 8.20.3.

MitigationUpgrade Jira Server/Data Center to version 8.13.15, 8.20.3, or later. Alternatively, restrict administrator access and monitor for suspicious email template modifications.

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
Data CenterApplication
Affected:< 8.13.15
JiraApplication
Affected:< 8.13.15
Jira Data CenterApplication
Affected:>= 8.14.0, < 8.20.3
Jira ServerApplication
Affected:>= 8.14.0, < 8.20.3

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/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. Determine installed Jira version
    Access Jira Administration > System > Troubleshooting and support tools > System Info, or check the <jira-install>/atlassian-jira/WEB-INF/classes/application-info.xml file for the version number
    Affected if The installed version is earlier than 8.13.15, or falls between 8.14.0 and 8.20.3 (exclusive of 8.20.3)
  2. Verify administrator access exists
    Check if the current user or any user account has Jira Administrator or System Administrator global permissions via Administration > User management > Global permissions
    Affected if Any user account possesses administrator-level privileges, allowing access to the Email Templates feature
  3. Locate the Email Templates configuration
    Navigate to Administration > Mail > Email Templates to access the template management interface
    Affected if The Email Templates feature is accessible and configurable through the administration interface
  4. Audit recent email template modifications
    Review the Email Templates for any unexpected or malicious customizations, particularly in template files that handle email rendering or include dynamic content
    Affected if Templates contain suspicious code, shell commands, or unexpected modifications that were not authored by trusted administrators

A user is affected if their Jira installation version is less than 8.13.15 or falls between 8.14.0 and 8.20.3, AND administrator-level access to the Email Templates feature exists in the environment.

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 8.13.15 / 8.20.3 or later
Fixed in 8.13.158.20.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Jira Server/Data Center to version 8.13.15, 8.20.3, or later. Alternatively, restrict administrator access and monitor for suspicious email template modifications.

Recommended fix High confidence

8.20.3 or later (8.13.15 if currently < 8.13.15)

  1. 1. Back up your Jira instance database and configuration files before proceeding with any upgrade.
  2. 2. Identify your current Jira version by navigating to Jira Administration > System > System Info.
  3. 3. If your current version is < 8.13.15, plan to upgrade to version 8.13.15 or later.
  4. 4. If your current version is >= 8.14.0 and < 8.20.3, plan to upgrade to version 8.20.3 or later.
  5. 5. Download the appropriate Jira Server or Data Center installer from the official Atlassian website.
  6. 6. Review Atlassian's upgrade documentation and ensure your system meets the requirements for the target version.
  7. 7. Test the upgrade in a non-production environment first to verify compatibility with your existing plugins and configurations.
  8. 8. Execute the upgrade following Atlassian's standard upgrade procedure.
Caveat Review Atlassian's upgrade guide for version-specific breaking changes, especially when crossing major version boundaries; some plugins may require updates

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

Fix this in Data Center Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
25.0 hours of engineering $4,400
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,040.

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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-2021-43947 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