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Knime ServerApplication · Knime

CVE-2021-45097

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-12-16
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.13.4 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
KNIME Server before 4.12.6 and 4.13.x before 4.13.4 (when installed in unattended mode) keeps the administrator's password in a file without appropriate file access controls, allowing all local users to read its content.

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

When KNIME Server is installed in unattended mode, it stores the administrator password in a configuration file with world-readable permissions (mode 644 or similar), allowing any local user on the system to read the plaintext password and potentially gain administrative access.

MitigationUpgrade to KNIME Server 4.12.6 or 4.13.4 or later where the password is stored with restricted permissions, or manually restrict file access on the affected configuration file to administrator-only read.

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
Knime ServerApplication
Affected:<= 4.12.5>= 4.13, < 4.13.4

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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. Identify KNIME Server version
    Run 'knime-server --version' or check the version file in the KNIME Server installation directory (typically in /opt/knime-server/ or the installation root)
    Affected if Version is <= 4.12.5 or >= 4.13.0 and < 4.13.4 (the server was installed in unattended mode)
  2. Locate the administrator password configuration file
    In the KNIME Server configuration directory (typically <install-dir>/knime-server.config/ or a conf/ subdirectory), locate the file that stores the administrator password set during unattended installation - commonly a users.properties, security.properties, or similar configuration file containing credentials
    Affected if The configuration file exists and was created during unattended installation
  3. Check file permissions on the password configuration file
    Run 'ls -l' on the identified configuration file containing the administrator password to view its permission bits (e.g., ls -l <config-dir>/users.properties)
    Affected if The file permissions are 644, 655, or otherwise world-readable (any permission showing 'r--r--r--' or 'rw-r--r--' where others have read permission)
  4. Verify password is stored in plaintext
    View the file contents using 'cat' or a text editor to confirm the administrator password is stored in plaintext (not hashed or encrypted) within the file
    Affected if The file contains a plaintext administrator password readable by any local user

A user is affected if KNIME Server version is within the vulnerable range AND the configuration file storing the administrator password has world-readable permissions, exposing the plaintext password to any local user on the system.

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 4.13.4 or later
Fixed in 4.13.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to KNIME Server 4.12.6 or 4.13.4 or later where the password is stored with restricted permissions, or manually restrict file access on the affected configuration file to administrator-only read.

Recommended fix High confidence

Knime Server 4.12.6 (for versions <= 4.12.5) or 4.13.4 (for versions >= 4.13.0 and < 4.13.4)

  1. 1. Identify the current KNIME Server version by checking the installation or server logs
  2. 2. Determine the appropriate upgrade path: if current version is <= 4.12.5, upgrade to 4.12.6; if current version is >= 4.13.0 but < 4.13.4, upgrade to 4.13.4
  3. 3. Perform a full backup of the KNIME Server installation directory and all configuration files
  4. 4. Download the fixed KNIME Server version (4.12.6 or 4.13.4) from the official KNIME download repository
  5. 5. Stop the KNIME Server service
  6. 6. Install the upgraded version following standard KNIME upgrade procedures
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify that the administrator password file now has appropriate restrictive file permissions (only readable by the service account)
  8. 8. Restart the KNIME Server service

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

Fix this in Knime Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,440
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,304.

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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-2021-45097 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