CVE-2021-45448
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 · uneditedPentaho Business Analytics Server versions before 9.2.0.2 and 8.3.0.25 using the Pentaho Analyzer plugin exposes a service endpoint for templates which allows a user-supplied path to access resources that are out of bounds. The software uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the software does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. By using special elements such as ".." and "/" separators, attackers can escape outside of the restricted location to access files or directories that are elsewhere on the system.
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 confidencePentaho Business Analytics Server versions before 9.2.0.2 and 8.3.0.25 using the Analyzer plugin contain a path traversal vulnerability in a template service endpoint. The endpoint accepts user-supplied paths without properly sanitizing special elements like '..' and '/' separators, allowing authenticated attackers to escape the restricted directory and access sensitive files elsewhere on 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>= 8.3.0.0, < 8.3.0.25>= 9.2.0.0, < 9.2.0.2CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed Pentaho versionCheck the version file in the Pentaho installation directory, typically in 'version.txt' or within the 'system' folder's version info. You can also check the server startup logs for the Pentaho BI Platform version number.Affected if The installed version is 8.3.0.0 through 8.3.0.24 (any version < 8.3.0.25) OR 9.2.0.0 through 9.2.0.1 (any version < 9.2.0.2)
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Verify Analyzer plugin is enabledCheck the 'system' directory for the Analyzer plugin configuration. In the Pentaho BI Platform, verify the presence of the 'analyzer' plugin folder in the 'system' directory and confirm it is not explicitly disabled in the plugin configuration.Affected if The Analyzer plugin is installed and enabled on the server (the vulnerability only affects systems using the Analyzer plugin)
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Locate the template service endpointThe vulnerable endpoint is the Analyzer template service. Check Pentaho's 'system' directory structure for the Analyzer plugin's web context configuration, typically found under 'system/analyzer' containing the template service URL pattern.Affected if The template service endpoint exists and is accessible (this is the attack vector for the path traversal)
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Review access logs for path traversal attemptsExamine Pentaho server access logs (typically in the 'logs' directory) for requests to the Analyzer template service endpoint containing traversal sequences such as '../' or '..\' in path parameters.Affected if Logs show suspicious requests with '..' sequences targeting the template service endpoint, indicating potential exploitation attempts
You are affected if your Pentaho version is 8.3.0.0-8.3.0.24 or 9.2.0.0-9.2.0.1 AND the Analyzer plugin is enabled and accessible to authenticated users.
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 · scoped8.3.0.259.2.0.2
Upgrade Pentaho Business Analytics Server to version 9.2.0.2 or 8.3.0.25 or later to remediate this path traversal vulnerability. If immediate upgrade is not feasible, restrict access to the Analyzer template service endpoint until the patch can be applied.
Pentaho 8.3.0.25 or 9.2.0.2 depending on your current major version branch
- 1. Back up your current Pentaho Business Analytics Server installation and database
- 2. Identify your current version line (8.3.x.x or 9.2.x.x)
- 3. Download the fixed version from the official Pentaho support portal: version 8.3.0.25 for the 8.x line, or version 9.2.0.2 for the 9.x line
- 4. Stop the Pentaho Server services
- 5. Follow the standard Pentaho upgrade procedure for your version line
- 6. Start the Pentaho Server and verify the Analyzer plugin is functioning correctly
- 7. Test that path traversal attempts (e.g., using '../' in template paths) are properly blocked
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-45448 — 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-2021-45448 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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