# CVE-2021-45913: Hardcoded credentials in n/a

> A hardcoded key in the ControlUp Real-Time Agent allows attackers to execute OS commands via a WCF channel.

- **Severity:** High 7.2 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 4 Jan 2022
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024

## What is CVE-2021-45913?

CVE-2021-45913 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 4 Jan 2022. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A hardcoded key in ControlUp Real-Time Agent (cuAgent.exe) before 8.2.5 may allow a potential attacker to run OS commands via a WCF channel.

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-45913?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Controlup Controlup Agent.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-45913?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-45913 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-45913 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-45913 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-45913 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-45913 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 4 Jan 2022. An attacker needs administrator access to exploit it, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-45913 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-2021-45913/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-45913/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-45913
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-45913
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-45913

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-45913/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.