# CVE-2021-28820: TIBCO FTL Windows Platform Artifact Search vulnerability

> A local attacker can insert malicious software into the search path, causing the TIBCO FTL component to execute it with elevated privileges.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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:** 23 Mar 2021
- **Updated:** 17 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-v377-gg5v-m3pq

## What is CVE-2021-28820?

CVE-2021-28820 is a high-severity vulnerability in TIBCO FTL - Community Edition, published on 23 Mar 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The FTL Server (tibftlserver), FTL C API, FTL Golang API, FTL Java API, and FTL .Net API components of TIBCO Software Inc.'s TIBCO FTL - Community Edition, TIBCO FTL - Developer Edition, and TIBCO FTL - Enterprise Edition contain a vulnerability that theoretically allows a low privileged attacker with local access on the Windows operating system to insert malicious software. The affected component can be abused to execute the malicious software inserted by the attacker with the elevated privileges of the component. This vulnerability results from the affected component searching for run-time artifacts outside of the installation hierarchy. Affected releases are TIBCO Software Inc.'s TIBCO FTL - Community Edition: versions 6.5.0 and below, TIBCO FTL - Developer Edition: versions 6.5.0 and below, and TIBCO FTL - Enterprise Edition: versions 6.5.0 and below.

Weakness: CWE-427 (Uncontrolled Search Path Element)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-28820?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Tibco Ftl.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-28820?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-28820 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-28820 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-28820 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in TIBCO FTL - Community Edition

- [CVE-2021-43052](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-43052/): TIBCO FTL Secret Generation Vulnerability (critical 9.3)
- [CVE-2021-28819](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-28819/): TIBCO FTL Windows Platform Installation vulnerability (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2019-11209](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-11209/): TIBCO FTL Escalation Of Privileges for Realm Configuration (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2021-43053](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-43053/): TIBCO FTL Secret Exposure Vulnerability (high 8.5)
- [CVE-2018-12412](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-12412/): TIBCO FTL Realm Server Vulnerable to CSRF Attacks (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-28820 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-28820 is a high-severity vulnerability in TIBCO FTL - Community Edition, published on 23 Mar 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-2021-28820 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: TIBCO FTL - Community Edition. 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-2021-28820/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-28820/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-28820
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-28820
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-28820

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-28820/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.