dbcve.org
DeltavApplication · Emerson

CVE-2021-44463

HIGH · 7.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-01-28
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
73/100
Remediation priority · Elevated

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
Missing DLLs, if replaced by an insider, could allow an attacker to achieve local privilege escalation on the DeltaV Distributed Control System Controllers and Workstations (All versions) when some DeltaV services are started.

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 confidence

This is a DLL hijacking vulnerability in DeltaV DCS where missing dynamic link libraries can be replaced by an insider to achieve local privilege escalation when DeltaV services start. The vulnerability stems from the application attempting to load DLLs from locations where an attacker with insider access could place malicious versions, allowing elevation from user-level to administrator or system privileges.

MitigationLocate and verify all expected DLLs in their proper directories with correct file permissions, implement DLL search order disabling, and ensure only signed/approved DLLs are loadable by DeltaV services. Consider application whitelening and restricting physical/logical access to the 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
DeltavApplication
Affected:= 13.3.1= 14= 14.3.1= r6

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

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

  1. Confirm DeltaV installation and version
    Check the Windows registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Emerson\DeltaV or look for DeltaV installation directories (commonly C:\DeltaV or C:\Program Files\Emerson\DeltaV). Review any version information in the installation path or product documentation.
    Affected if The installed version matches 13.3.1, 14, 14.3.1, or r6.
  2. Identify DLL search order configuration
    Check the Windows registry key HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\SafeDllSearchMode. If set to 0, the current directory is searched before system directories.
    Affected if SafeDllSearchMode is set to 0 or is absent (defaulting to vulnerable behavior), and DeltaV loads DLLs from user-writable locations.
  3. Review DeltaV service account privileges
    Examine the DeltaV Windows services (via Services.msc) and check the 'Log on as' account for each DeltaV service. Identify if services run with elevated privileges (Local System, Administrator, or Domain Admin).
    Affected if DeltaV services run under privileged accounts (Local System, Administrator) and the DLL directories are writable by lower-privilege users.
  4. Inspect file permissions on DeltaV directories
    Use icacls or Get-Acl PowerShell cmdlets to review access control lists on DeltaV installation directories and subdirectories. Check if standard users have Write or Write+Execute permissions.
    Affected if Non-admin users have Write access to directories from which DeltaV loads DLLs, enabling DLL replacement.
  5. Scan for unexpected DLLs in DeltaV paths
    Enumerate all DLL files in DeltaV installation directories and compare against known-good DLL inventory if available. Look for DLLs with unusual timestamps or names in application paths.
    Affected if Unexpected or unknown DLLs exist in DeltaV application directories, suggesting potential hijacking.

A user is affected if DeltaV version 13.3.1, 14, 14.3.1, or r6 is installed with vulnerable DLL search path settings and writable directory permissions that allow privilege escalation via DLL replacement.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Locate and verify all expected DLLs in their proper directories with correct file permissions, implement DLL search order disabling, and ensure only signed/approved DLLs are loadable by DeltaV services. Consider application whitelening and restricting physical/logical access to the system.

Fix this in Deltav Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing16.0 h
  • Review / QA8.0 h
44.0 hours of engineering $7,600
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2021-44463 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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