CVE-2021-3551

Administrator access via world-readable installation logs

Published Feb 16, 2022 · Updated Aug 3, 2024

Cleartext credential storage in Dogtag PKI pki-core 10.10.0 through 10.10.5 allows local users to gain CA administrator access via installation logs. During debug-mode installation, pkispawn passes the administrator password on a command line and writes it to a world-readable installation log under /var/log/pki. Any local account able to read that log can recover the password and administer the CA manager.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.19%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Cleartext credential storage in Dogtag PKI pki-core 10.10.0 through 10.10.5 allows local users to gain CA administrator access via installation logs. During debug-mode installation, pkispawn passes the administrator password on a command line and writes it to a world-readable installation log under /var/log/pki. Any local account able to read that log can recover the password and administer the CA manager.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-3551
Published
Feb 16, 2022
Updated
Aug 3, 2024
Vendor
Dogtag PKI
Product
Dogtag PKI
Classifications
CWE-312, T1552.001
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Feb 16, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 3, 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=pki-core 10.10.6

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Dogtag PKI · Dogtag PKIversion=pki-core 10.10.6

Published CVSS scores

4.4NIST NVDAV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
7.8NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-312Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information
T1552.001Unsecured Credentials: Credentials In Files

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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