CVE-2021-44675
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 · uneditedZoho ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus MSP before 10.5 Build 10534 is vulnerable to unauthenticated remote code execution due to a filter bypass in which authentication is not required.
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 confidenceZoho ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus MSP before Build 10534 contains an authentication bypass vulnerability where a filter can be circumvented, allowing unauthenticated attackers to execute arbitrary code remotely. The flaw stems from insufficient validation in the authentication mechanism that can be bypassed entirely.
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<= 10.5= 10.5CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Confirm ServiceDesk Plus MSP installationLocate the ServiceDesk Plus MSP installation directory, typically found in C:\Program Files\ManageEngine\ServiceDesk Plus MSP on Windows or /opt/ManageEngine/ServiceDesk Plus MSP on Linux. Alternatively, check for a running process named 'ServiceDesk Plus' or 'startDesigner.sh' in the processes list.Affected if The product is not installed or cannot be located.
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Find the build numberAccess the ServiceDesk Plus MSP web interface and navigate to the About or Admin > General Settings page to view the build information. Alternatively, check the build.info file in the installation directory, or run the version command from the bin folder (such as version.bat or version.sh).Affected if Unable to retrieve the build number.
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Compare build to the fixed versionCompare the identified build number to Build 10534. If the build number is less than 10534, the installation is vulnerable. For version 10.5 specifically, any build below 10534 indicates the vulnerability is present.Affected if Build number is below 10534 or version is 10.5 with any build less than 10534.
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Verify authentication is accessibleConfirm the ServiceDesk Plus MSP login page or API endpoints are reachable over the network. The authentication bypass allows unauthenticated access to administrative functions without valid credentials.Affected if The web interface or authentication endpoints are exposed to the network.
A user is affected if their ServiceDesk Plus MSP build number is below 10534 (or version 10.5 with any build below 10534) and the web interface is network-accessible, as the authentication bypass can be exploited without credentials.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade to ServiceDesk Plus MSP Build 10534 or later to apply the vendor patch that fixes the authentication bypass. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict network access to the ServiceDesk Plus administrative interfaces.
ServiceDesk Plus MSP 10.5 Build 10534 or later
- 1. Back up the current ServiceDesk Plus MSP installation and database
- 2. Download ServiceDesk Plus MSP version 10.5 Build 10534 or later from the official ManageEngine download portal
- 3. Stop the ServiceDesk Plus MSP service
- 4. Install the upgraded version following standard upgrade procedures
- 5. Verify the build number after upgrade matches 10534 or higher
- 6. Restart the ServiceDesk Plus MSP service
- 7. Test authentication and verify the filter bypass vulnerability is remediated
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-44675 — 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-2021-44675 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data