dbcve.org
Manageengine Desktop CentralApplication · Zohocorp

CVE-2021-46165

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-01-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.662 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Zoho ManageEngine Desktop Central before 10.0.662, during startup, launches an executable file from the batch files, but this file's path might not be properly defined.

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 · moderate confidence

Zoho ManageEngine Desktop Central versions before 10.0.6662 have a path validation vulnerability where the application launches executables referenced in batch files during startup without properly validating the executable path. An attacker with write access to the batch file location could potentially specify a malicious executable path, leading to arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpgrade to Zoho ManageEngine Desktop Central version 10.0.662 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict write access to batch file directories and monitor for unauthorized modifications to startup batch files.

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
Manageengine Desktop CentralApplication
Affected:< 10.0.662

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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. Identify the installed version of ManageEngine Desktop Central
    Locate the application version information - typically available in the product's About page, in the installation directory, or via the administrative web interface. Common paths include the installation root folder or the product's built-in version display.
    Affected if The installed version is lower than 10.0.662 (or before 10.0.6662 per the summary, if that version range applies to your installation).
  2. Locate startup batch files used by the application
    Identify batch files that are executed during the application startup process. These are typically found in the product's bin directory, startup folder, or configuration directories under the installation path.
    Affected if Batch files exist in the startup configuration and the application launches executables referenced in these files during startup.
  3. Verify file permissions on the batch file directories
    Check write permissions on the directories containing the startup batch files. Use file system auditing tools or OS-level permission checks to determine which users or processes can modify these files.
    Affected if Write access to the batch file location is granted to untrusted users or processes beyond the application administrator.
  4. Inspect batch file contents for executable paths
    Examine the startup batch files to identify any executable references. Look for commands that specify external executable paths that could be modified.
    Affected if The batch files contain executable path references that are not validated or use relative/unsigned paths before startup.

You are affected if your installed version is before 10.0.662 (or 10.0.6662 per the summary) AND untrusted users have write access to directories containing startup batch files that the application executes.

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 10.0.662 or later
Fixed in 10.0.662
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Zoho ManageEngine Desktop Central version 10.0.662 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict write access to batch file directories and monitor for unauthorized modifications to startup batch files.

Recommended fix High confidence

10.0.662

  1. Verify current installation version of ManageEngine Desktop Central
  2. Download version 10.0.662 or later from the official ManageEngine download portal
  3. Review release notes for version 10.0.662 for any special upgrade instructions
  4. Create a full backup of the current installation including database and configuration files
  5. Stop the Desktop Central service before upgrading
  6. Install version 10.0.662 following standard upgrade procedures
  7. Restart the Desktop Central service after installation
  8. Verify the upgrade was successful and the service runs normally
Caveat Standard enterprise upgrade risks apply - test in non-production environment first

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

Fix this in Manageengine Desktop Central Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,680
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2021-46165 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