CVE-2021-21438Network attack vector

Article disclosure via missing category authorization

Published Mar 22, 2021 · Updated Sep 17, 2024

Access control failure in OTRS 7.0.24 and earlier and FAQ 6.0.29 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to read restricted articles. The object-link display path returns linked FAQ articles to agents without enforcing the access permissions assigned to the articles' FAQ Category. An agent account and interaction with a link are required, and the reported impact is limited to unauthorized article disclosure.

CVSS severity3.5
Low
EPSS probability0.63%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Access control failure in OTRS 7.0.24 and earlier and FAQ 6.0.29 and earlier allows remote authenticated users to read restricted articles. The object-link display path returns linked FAQ articles to agents without enforcing the access permissions assigned to the articles' FAQ Category. An agent account and interaction with a link are required, and the reported impact is limited to unauthorized article disclosure.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-21438
Published
Mar 22, 2021
Updated
Sep 17, 2024
Vendor
OTRS AG
Product
OTRS
Classifications
CWE-276, CWE-264, T1213
Attack vector
network
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 22, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Sep 17, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=unspecified <=7.0.24

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

OTRS AG · OTRSversion=unspecified <=7.0.24
OTRS AG · FAQversion=6.0.x <=6.0.29

Published CVSS scores

4.0NIST NVDAV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:N/A:N
4.3NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
3.5OTRS AGCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-276Incorrect Default Permissions
CWE-264Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls
T1213Data from Information Repositories

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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