dbcve.org
AssistantApplication · Uipath

CVE-2021-44041

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-12-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
UiPath Assistant 21.4.4 will load and execute attacker controlled data from the file path supplied to the --dev-widget argument of the URI handler for uipath-assistant://. This allows an attacker to execute code on a victim's machine or capture NTLM credentials by supplying a networked or WebDAV file path.

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

UiPath Assistant 21.4.4 contains a vulnerability in its URI handler for uipath-assistant:// protocol. The application accepts and processes the --dev-widget argument without proper validation, allowing an attacker to specify a file path that the application will load and execute. This enables remote code execution on the victim's machine or NTLM credential harvesting when a networked or WebDAV path is supplied.

MitigationUpgrade UiPath Assistant to a patched version beyond 21.4.4. If immediate patching is not possible, consider disabling or blocking the uipath-assistant:// URI handler and implementing network segmentation to mitigate NTLM relay risks.

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
AssistantApplication
Affected:= 21.4.4

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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. Verify UiPath Assistant version
    Open Windows Settings > Apps & Features, or run 'Get-Package -Name UiPath*' in PowerShell, or check C:\Program Files\UiPath\Assistant\about.json for the version field
    Affected if The installed version is exactly 21.4.4
  2. Confirm URI handler registration
    Run 'reg query HKCU\Software\Classes\uipath-assistant' or check HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\uipath-assistant in the Windows Registry
    Affected if The uipath-assistant:// protocol handler is registered on the system
  3. Inspect URI handler command
    Examine the command value under the URI handler registry key (typically at HKCU\Software\Classes\uipath-assistant\shell\open\command) to see how the protocol is processed
    Affected if The handler passes arguments directly without validation (specifically contains --dev-widget or similar parameters)
  4. Check for recent protocol invocation logs
    Review Windows Event Logs under Microsoft-Windows-Shell/Operational for Event ID 55555 or application logs for uipath-assistant:// URI click events
    Affected if There are recent events showing uipath-assistant:// URLs were opened, especially with --dev-widget arguments

A system is affected if UiPath Assistant version 21.4.4 is installed AND the uipath-assistant:// URI handler is registered and processes the --dev-widget argument without validation.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade UiPath Assistant to a patched version beyond 21.4.4. If immediate patching is not possible, consider disabling or blocking the uipath-assistant:// URI handler and implementing network segmentation to mitigate NTLM relay risks.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

UiPath Assistant 21.10 or later (verify latest stable release)

  1. 1. Navigate to the official UiPath download page or your organization's UiPath Automation Cloud portal
  2. 2. Download the latest stable version of UiPath Assistant (version 21.10 or later recommended)
  3. 3. Close any running instances of UiPath Assistant
  4. 4. Run the installer for the new version
  5. 5. Follow the installation wizard prompts to complete the upgrade
  6. 6. Verify the installation by launching UiPath Assistant and checking the version under Help > About
Caveat Review UiPath release notes for your version for any breaking changes in workflows or dependencies

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

Fix this in Assistant Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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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-2021-44041 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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