# CVE-2021-28960: Command injection in n/a

> Unauthenticated attackers can execute arbitrary commands via improper input handling in on-demand operations of Zoho ManageEngine Desktop Central.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 21 Sep 2021
- **Updated:** 3 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-cq55-rgg6-wm49

## What is CVE-2021-28960?

CVE-2021-28960 is a critical command injection vulnerability in n/a, published on 21 Sep 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Zoho ManageEngine Desktop Central before build 10.0.683 allows unauthenticated command injection due to improper handling of an input command in on-demand operations.

Weakness: CWE-77 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-28960?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Manageengine Desktop Central.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-28960?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-28960 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-28960 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-28960 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2015-8249](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-8249/): File upload in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2014-3996](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-3996/): SQL injection in n/a (high 7.5)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-28960 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-28960 is a critical command injection vulnerability in n/a, published on 21 Sep 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-28960 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-2021-28960/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-28960/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-28960
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-28960
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-28960

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-28960/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.