dbcve.org
SuitecrmApplication · Salesagility

CVE-2021-45899

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-01-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.12.3 / 8.0.2 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
SuiteCRM before 7.12.3 and 8.x before 8.0.2 allows PHAR deserialization that can lead to remote code execution.

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

SuiteCRM versions before 7.12.3 and 8.x before 8.0.2 contain a PHAR deserialization vulnerability. Attackers can exploit this by supplying a malicious phar:// stream path that triggers unsafe deserialization of PHP objects, potentially executing arbitrary code on the server.

MitigationUpgrade SuiteCRM to version 7.12.3 or later (for 7.x branch) or 8.0.2 or later (for 8.x branch). Until patched, restrict file upload functionality and implement strict input validation on file path parameters.

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
SuitecrmApplication
Affected:< 7.12.3>= 8.0.0, < 8.0.2= 8.0

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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Determine installed SuiteCRM version
    Locate the version file in the SuiteCRM installation directory, typically at 'include/SuiteCRM/SuiteCRMVersion.php' or check the admin panel under 'About' for the exact version number.
    Affected if The installed version is 7.x less than 7.12.3, or 8.x less than 8.0.2 (including 8.0.0 and 8.0).
  2. Confirm file upload functionality is enabled
    Navigate to SuiteCRM admin settings and check 'System Settings' or 'Configure AJAX UI' where file upload options are typically found. Also inspect the file 'config.php' for the setting '$sugar_config['upload_dir']' and verify upload is not disabled.
    Affected if File upload capability is enabled and accessible to users.
  3. Identify modules accepting file path parameters
    Review custom modules and any third-party integrations that handle file path inputs. Search source code for functions using 'file_get_contents', 'file', 'fopen', or similar functions that accept user-supplied paths. Look for any 'phar://' stream wrapper usage in the codebase.
    Affected if Any module or custom code processes file path inputs from users without strict validation.
  4. Audit web server logs for phar:// stream requests
    Examine web server access and error logs (typically in /var/log/apache2 or /var/log/nginx) for any incoming requests containing 'phar://' in URI parameters or POST body data.

You are affected if your SuiteCRM version is 7.x before 7.12.3 or 8.x before 8.0.2, AND file upload or any module accepting file path parameters is accessible to untrusted users.

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 7.12.3 / 8.0.2 or later
Fixed in 7.12.38.0.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade SuiteCRM to version 7.12.3 or later (for 7.x branch) or 8.0.2 or later (for 8.x branch). Until patched, restrict file upload functionality and implement strict input validation on file path parameters.

Recommended fix High confidence

SuiteCRM 7.12.3 or SuiteCRM 8.0.2

  1. 1. Backup the SuiteCRM database and all files
  2. 2. Download SuiteCRM 7.12.3 (for 7.x installations) or SuiteCRM 8.0.2 (for 8.x installations) from the official SuiteCRM website
  3. 3. Follow the official SuiteCRM upgrade documentation for your version to apply the update
  4. 4. Clear the cache by deleting contents of cache/ and upload/ directories (except .gitkeep)
  5. 5. Run a Quick Repair and Rebuild via Admin > Repair > Quick Repair and Rebuild
  6. 6. Verify the application loads correctly and all core functions work
  7. 7. Confirm the version number displays correctly in Admin > About
Caveat Review custom modules and integrations for compatibility with the new version before production deployment

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

Fix this in Suitecrm Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,328.

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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-2021-45899 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