CVE-2021-45885
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 · uneditedAn issue was discovered in Stormshield Network Security (SNS) 4.2.2 through 4.2.7 (fixed in 4.2.8). Under a specific update-migration scenario, the first SSH password change does not properly clear the old password.
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 confidenceIn Stormshield Network Security (SNS) versions 4.2.2 through 4.2.7, a vulnerability exists where SSH password authentication may retain the old password after a user attempts to change their password for the first time following an update or migration scenario. This creates an authentication bypass where both the old and new passwords remain valid for SSH access.
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>= 4.2.2, < 4.2.8CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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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Check installed SNS firmware versionAccess the admin console or use 'clish -c "show version"' command to display the current firmware versionAffected if The version displayed is 4.2.2, 4.2.3, 4.2.4, 4.2.5, 4.2.6, or 4.2.7 (any version from 4.2.2 up to but not including 4.2.8)
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Confirm SSH password authentication is enabledReview the SSH daemon configuration via the SNS web admin interface under System > Services > SSH, or inspect /etc/ssh/sshd_config for 'PasswordAuthentication yes'Affected if SSH service allows password-based authentication for user logins
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Determine if a password change occurred after update or migrationReview system event logs or check with users to confirm whether any SSH user passwords were changed following a firmware update or system migration to the affected versionsAffected if A password change was performed by any user after the device was updated to or migrated to version 4.2.2-4.2.7
Your environment is affected if the SNS version is 4.2.2 through 4.2.7, SSH password authentication is enabled, and a user changed their password following an update or migration to these versions, allowing both old and new passwords to work.
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 · scoped4.2.8
Upgrade to SNS version 4.2.8 or later to resolve the password clearing issue.
4.2.8
- 1. Identify all Stormshield Network Security (SNS) appliances running versions 4.2.2 through 4.2.7.
- 2. Review the Stormshield SNS 4.2.8 release notes for any migration or compatibility requirements.
- 3. Plan a maintenance window for the upgrade, ensuring backups of the current configuration are available.
- 4. Upgrade the SNS appliance(s) from the affected version to version 4.2.8.
- 5. After upgrade, verify that SSH password changes now properly clear old passwords as expected.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 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 $5,600.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-45885 — 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-2021-45885 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
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