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SuitecrmApplication · Salesagility

CVE-2021-45903

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-12-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 7.10.35 / 7.12.2 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
A persistent cross-site scripting (XSS) issue in the web interface of SuiteCRM before 7.10.35, and 7.11.x and 7.12.x before 7.12.2, allows a remote attacker to introduce arbitrary JavaScript via attachments upload, a different vulnerability than CVE-2021-39267 and CVE-2021-39268.

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

A persistent cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability exists in SuiteCRM's web interface through the attachments upload functionality. Remote attackers can upload malicious attachments containing arbitrary JavaScript that executes when other users view or interact with the uploaded files. This affects versions before 7.10.35 and 7.11.x/7.12.x before 7.12.2.

MitigationUpgrade SuiteCRM to version 7.10.35 or later, or 7.12.2 or later. Implement proper input sanitization and validation on attachment uploads, including content-type verification and filename sanitization to prevent XSS execution.

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:< 7.10.35>= 7.11.0, < 7.12.2

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
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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. Check SuiteCRM version file
    Locate and read the version file in your SuiteCRM installation. Common paths include: include/utils.php, install/install_version.php, or a VERSION file in the root directory. Look for the version number defined there.
    Affected if The detected version is less than 7.10.35, OR greater than or equal to 7.11.0 but less than 7.12.2
  2. Verify attachment upload feature is enabled
    Log into the SuiteCRM web interface and navigate to the attachment upload functionality. This is typically found in the Notes module, Email composer, or document management areas where file attachments can be added to records.
    Affected if You are able to access and use the attachment upload feature in the web interface
  3. Confirm web interface is accessible
    Access your SuiteCRM instance through a web browser. Verify the application loads and that user authentication is possible, as the XSS payload executes when other users interact with uploaded files.
    Affected if The SuiteCRM web interface is accessible to users who can upload attachments

Your environment is affected if the installed SuiteCRM version is below 7.10.35, or is between 7.11.0 and 7.12.2 (exclusive), and the attachment upload feature is accessible via the web interface.

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 7.10.35 / 7.12.2 or later
Fixed in 7.10.357.12.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade SuiteCRM to version 7.10.35 or later, or 7.12.2 or later. Implement proper input sanitization and validation on attachment uploads, including content-type verification and filename sanitization to prevent XSS execution.

Recommended fix High confidence

7.12.2 or latest stable SuiteCRM release

  1. 1. Backup your SuiteCRM database and file system before proceeding with the upgrade.
  2. 2. Download the latest stable SuiteCRM release (recommended) or version 7.12.2 as the minimum fixed version from the official SuiteCRM GitHub repository or website.
  3. 3. Enable maintenance mode or notify users of planned downtime.
  4. 4. Extract the new SuiteCRM package to your web server document root.
  5. 5. Copy the new files over the existing installation, preserving custom configurations in config.php and any custom modules in the custom/ directory.
  6. 6. Run the database upgrade by accessing the repair function via SuiteCRM admin: Administration > Repair > Quick Repair and Rebuild.
  7. 7. Clear the cache by deleting all files in cache/ directory (except .gitkeep).
  8. 8. Verify the upgrade by logging in and checking the SuiteCRM version in About.
Caveat Review customizations and third-party modules 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
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
Get the upgrade done

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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-2021-45903 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