CVE-2021-38163
Path Traversal in Sap Netweaver 7.30 … 7.50
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2021-38163 is a critical-severity Path Traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in Sap Netweaver. Its CVSS base score is 9.9 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 2% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
SAP NetWeaver Visual Composer 7.0 RT in versions 7.30, 7.31, 7.40, and 7.50 contains a path traversal vulnerability that permits an authenticated non-administrative user to upload a malicious file over the network and trigger its processing on the server. The flaw allows the uploaded content to execute operating system commands under the privileges of the Java Server process, enabling arbitrary actions on the underlying host.
An attacker with low-privileged network access can leverage the issue to read or modify any data on the server and to shut the server down, resulting in a complete loss of confidentiality, integrity, and availability with a CVSS score of 9.9. Because the scope is changed, the compromise extends beyond the vulnerable component to the broader operating system environment.
SAP security notes 3084487 and the associated SCN wiki pages describe the available patches and configuration guidance, while the vulnerability appears in CISA’s catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities, indicating confirmed real-world exploitation.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2021-24633
Vulnerability Data
SAP NetWeaver (Visual Composer 7.0 RT) versions - 7.30, 7.31, 7.40, 7.50, without restriction, an attacker authenticated as a non-administrative user can upload a malicious file over a network and trigger its processing, which is capable of running operating system…
more
commands with the privilege of the Java Server process. These commands can be used to read or modify any information on the server or shut the server down making it unavailable.
- CWE(s)
- KEV Date Added
- 09 June 2022
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V5.3.2
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Validates pathnames and filenames to prevent traversal outside intended directories.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Patching/maintenance can remediate known path-traversal flaws in deployed software (partial prevention of exploitability) but does nothing to stop the coding defect from being introduced in the first place.
PR.AA-05 defines and reviews access policies but does not address code-level pathname neutralization, so neither direction prevents CWE-22.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing in development catches path traversal via static/dynamic analysis.
Secure SDLC mandates input validation and path sanitization that directly prevent path traversal.
Application security requirements include rules for safe file handling and canonicalization.
Secure architecture principles require least-privilege file access and directory isolation.
Secure coding standards explicitly forbid unsafe path construction and mandate safe APIs.
Information access restriction limits which files an application may read or write.