CVE-2021-38122 [Medium] | Input Validation Bypass in Netiq Advanced Authentication

CVE-2021-38122 is rated Low Risk (31.4/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.27%). Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

#	Date	Old EPSS score	New EPSS score	Delta (New - Old)
1	2026-06-15	0.19%	0.27%	+0.08%
2	2026-01-17	0.14%	0.19%	+0.05%
3	2025-11-21	—	0.14%	—

Date

Old EPSS score

New EPSS score

Delta (New - Old)

2026-06-15

0.19%

0.27%

+0.08%

2026-01-17

0.14%

0.19%

+0.05%

2025-11-21

—

0.14%

—

Base score	Version	Severity	Vector	Exploitability	Impact	Score source
6.2	3.1	MEDIUM	`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N` Click to expand Attack vector (AV:N) Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine. Attack complexity (AC:H) Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work. Privileges required (PR:H) They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off. User interaction (UI:R) A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land. Scope (S:C) Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius. Confidentiality (C:H) Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way. Integrity (I:L) Attackers could change some data, but it’s limited—not everything goes. Availability (A:N) Service keeps running; no real outage angle.	1.0	4.7	[email protected]
8.2	3.1	HIGH	`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N` Click to expand Attack vector (AV:N) Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine. 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:N) No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough. User interaction (UI:R) A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land. Scope (S:C) Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius. Confidentiality (C:H) Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way. Integrity (I:L) Attackers could change some data, but it’s limited—not everything goes. Availability (A:N) Service keeps running; no real outage angle.	2.8	4.7	[email protected]

Base score

Version

Severity

Vector

Exploitability

Impact

Score source

6.2

3.1

MEDIUM

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N Click to expand

Attack vector (AV:N): Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H): Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:H): They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
User interaction (UI:R): A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:C): Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:H): Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:L): Attackers could change some data, but it’s limited—not everything goes.
Availability (A:N): Service keeps running; no real outage angle.

1.0

4.7

[email protected]

8.2

3.1

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:L/A:N Click to expand

Attack vector (AV:N): Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
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:N): No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:R): A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:C): Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:H): Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:L): Attackers could change some data, but it’s limited—not everything goes.
Availability (A:N): Service keeps running; no real outage angle.

2.8

4.7

[email protected]

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2021-38122

Vendor	Product	Version	Raw CPE
microfocus	netiq_advanced_authentication	< 6.3	cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:netiq_advanced_authentication::::::::
microfocus	netiq_advanced_authentication	6.3	cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:netiq_advanced_authentication:6.3:-::::::
microfocus	netiq_advanced_authentication	6.3	cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:netiq_advanced_authentication:6.3:sp1::::::
microfocus	netiq_advanced_authentication	6.3	cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:netiq_advanced_authentication:6.3:sp2::::::
microfocus	netiq_advanced_authentication	6.3	cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:netiq_advanced_authentication:6.3:sp3::::::
microfocus	netiq_advanced_authentication	6.3	cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:netiq_advanced_authentication:6.3:sp4::::::
microfocus	netiq_advanced_authentication	6.3	cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:netiq_advanced_authentication:6.3:sp4_patch1::::::
microfocus	netiq_advanced_authentication	6.3	cpe:2.3:a:microfocus:netiq_advanced_authentication:6.3:sp5::::::

References for CVE-2021-38122

URL	Tags
https://www.netiq.com/documentation/advanced-authentication-63/advanced-authentication-releasenotes-6351/data/advanced-authentication-releasenotes-6351.html	Release Notes

URL

CVE-2021-38122 | Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) in Advance Authentication

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2021-38122

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2021-38122

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2021-38122

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2021-38122

References for CVE-2021-38122