CVE-2021-44862
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 · uneditedNetskope client is impacted by a vulnerability where an authenticated, local attacker can view sensitive information stored in NSClient logs which should be restricted. The vulnerability exists because the sensitive information is not masked/scrubbed before writing in the logs. A malicious user can use the sensitive information to download data and impersonate another user.
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 confidenceThe Netskope client (NSClient) contains a log information disclosure vulnerability where sensitive information such as authentication tokens or credentials are written to log files without proper masking or scrubbing. An authenticated local attacker with access to the system can read these unprotected logs to obtain sensitive data, which can then be used to impersonate users and download data from the Netskope service.
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<= 91CVSS 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
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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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Verify Netskope client is installedCheck for NSClient executable or Netskope service on the system - look for 'NSClient' in installed programs or running processesAffected if Netskope client is present on the system
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Identify installed versionUse system inventory tools (e.g., 'wmic product get name,version' on Windows, or check the executable's properties) to determine the NSClient version numberAffected if Version number is 91 or lower (any version <= 91 is affected)
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Locate NSClient log filesSearch for log files in typical Netskope installation directories - check %ProgramFiles%\Netskope or %AppData%\Netskope folders for .log filesAffected if Log files exist and contain records of NSClient activity
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Inspect logs for unmasked sensitive dataOpen log files and search for visible authentication tokens, credentials, session identifiers, or API keys - look for patterns like 'Bearer', 'token=', 'password=', or long alphanumeric stringsAffected if Any authentication tokens, credentials, session IDs, or API keys appear in plain text within log entries
A system is affected if Netskope client version 91 or lower is installed AND log files contain unmasked authentication tokens, credentials, or session identifiers that could be harvested by a local attacker.
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.
From vendor dataImplement sensitive data masking/scrubbing for all log output in NSClient, ensuring tokens, credentials, and session identifiers are redacted before logging. Additionally, restrict log file permissions to minimize unauthorized local access.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,040.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-44862 — 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-2021-44862 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