# CVE-2021-25275: Hardcoded credentials in n/a

> Unprivileged users can read database credentials from a file, gaining database owner access and admin privileges in SolarWinds applications.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 3 Feb 2021
- **Updated:** 3 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-hhgr-rpp9-9whw

## What is CVE-2021-25275?

CVE-2021-25275 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 3 Feb 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

SolarWinds Orion Platform before 2020.2.4, as used by various SolarWinds products, installs and uses a SQL Server backend, and stores database credentials to access this backend in a file readable by unprivileged users. As a result, any user having access to the filesystem can read database login details from that file, including the login name and its associated password. Then, the credentials can be used to get database owner access to the SWNetPerfMon.DB database. This gives access to the data collected by SolarWinds applications, and leads to admin access to the applications by inserting or changing authentication data stored in the Accounts table of the database.

Weakness: CWE-798 (Use of Hard-coded Credentials)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-25275?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Solarwinds Orion Platform.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-25275?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-25275 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-25275 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-25275 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2020-10148](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-10148/): SolarWinds Orion Authentication Bypass (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2021-27258](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-27258/): Privilege escalation in Orion Platform (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2021-25274](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-25274/): Deserialization in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2019-9546](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-9546/): Privilege escalation in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2020-13169](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-13169/): Cross-site scripting in n/a (critical 9.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-25275 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-25275 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 3 Feb 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-25275 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-25275/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-25275/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-25275
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-25275
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-25275

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-25275/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.