CVE-2021-37617 | Untrusted Search Path in Nextcloud Desktop Client

The Nextcloud Desktop Client is a tool to synchronize files from Nextcloud Server with a computer. The Nextcloud Desktop Client invokes its uninstaller script when being installed to make sure there are no remnants of previous installations. In versions 3.0.3 through 3.2.4, the Client searches the `Uninstall.exe` file in a folder that can be written by regular users. This could lead to a case where a malicious user creates a malicious `Uninstall.exe`, which would be executed with administrative privileges on the Nextcloud Desktop Client installation. This issue is fixed in Nextcloud Desktop Client version 3.3.0. As a workaround, do not allow untrusted users to create content in the `C:\` system folder and verify that there is no malicious `C:\Uninstall.exe` file on the system.

Published: 2021-08-18 Last update: 2026-06-17 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2021-37617 is rated Moderate Risk (42.3/100): CVSS High severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.47%). Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2021-37617

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.39% 0.47% +0.08%
2 2026-03-18 0.30% 0.39% +0.09%
3 2026-03-04 — 0.30% —

Full EPSS history (35 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2021-37617

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.3 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.3 5.9 [email protected]
7.3 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.3 5.9 [email protected]
4.4 2.0 MEDIUM
AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P Click to expand
Access vector (AV:L)
Requires local access to the target system.
Access complexity (AC:M)
Exploitation needs some favorable conditions, but not exceptional ones.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:P)
Partial confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:P)
Partial integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:P)
Partial availability impact.
 3.4 6.4 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2021-37617

OS Trackers for CVE-2021-37617

vendor priority summary link
debian unimportant CVE-2021-37617 unimportant priority: Debian including 1 source packages (nextcloud-desktop), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2021-37617
ubuntu negligible CVE-2021-37617 negligible priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (nextcloud-desktop), 8 status rows across 8 suites (bionic, focal, hirsute, impish, jammy, trusty, upstream, xenial): not-affected 5, DNE 2, ignored 1. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-37617

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2021-37617

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
nextcloud desktop >= 3.0.3, < 3.3.0 cpe:2.3:a:nextcloud:desktop:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2021-37617

cvelogic Threat Intelligence