CVE-2021-45389
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 · uneditedA flaw was found with the JWT token. A self-signed JWT token could be injected into the update manager and bypass the authentication process, thus could escalate privileges. This affects StarWind SAN and NAS build 1578 and StarWind Command Center build 6864.
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 confidenceA critical authentication bypass vulnerability exists in the JWT token validation within StarWind's update manager. The flaw allows attackers to inject self-signed JWT tokens, bypassing the authentication mechanism entirely and achieving privilege escalation to administrative levels.
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= 6864= 1578CVSS 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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Identify installed StarWind productUse system inventory, program listings, or the product's own CLI/UI to determine if StarWind Command Center or StarWind San&nas is installed on the systemAffected if Either StarWind Command Center or StarWind San&nas is present
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Check product versionLocate the installed version through the product's about section, CLI command, or installed programs registry. Compare against the affected versions: 6864 for Command Center, 1578 for San&nasAffected if Version equals 6864 for Command Center or 1578 for San&nas
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Confirm update manager is accessibleVerify the update manager feature or service is present and enabled in the StarWind installation. Check service status or module listAffected if Update manager component is installed and operational
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Review JWT authentication settingsExamine configuration files, authentication settings, or policy settings related to JWT token validation within the update manager moduleAffected if JWT configuration allows self-signed tokens or lacks proper signature verification with trusted keys
Environment is affected if running StarWind Command Center version 6864 or StarWind San&nas version 1578 with the update manager feature active and JWT token validation configured to accept self-signed tokens.
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 · scopedImplement proper cryptographic validation of JWT signatures using a trusted key infrastructure, verify token claims (issuer, audience, expiration), and reject all self-signed or unverified tokens in the update manager authentication flow.
Latest available build of StarWind SAN&NAS and StarWind Command Center (contact vendor for specific build numbers)
- Contact StarWind support to obtain the latest build that includes the security fix for CVE-2021-45389
- Request confirmation of which specific build numbers contain the patched JWT token authentication
- Verify the upgrade path and schedule a maintenance window for the update
- After upgrading, verify that self-signed JWT tokens are no longer accepted for authentication
- Test the privilege escalation vector to confirm the vulnerability is resolved
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-45389 — 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-2021-45389 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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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.
- 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
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