Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
SolarWinds Database Performance Monitor has a stored or reflected cross-site scripting issue tied to complex SQL query handling. A successful attack could expose sensitive information through the affected web interface. The available sources rate it medium severity, but the confidentiality impact is high, so exposed or broadly accessible deployments deserve timely attention.
Executive priority
Treat as a moderate-priority remediation item, elevated where DPM is internet-facing or widely accessible. The business concern is possible sensitive data exposure from a management tool, not confirmed active exploitation in the supplied evidence.
Technical view
CVE-2021-35229 is CWE-79 in SolarWinds Database Performance Monitor 2022.1.7779 and earlier. The CVSS 3.1 vector is AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N, indicating remote reachability, high attack complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, changed scope, and high confidentiality impact.
Likely exposure
Organizations running SolarWinds Database Performance Monitor 2022.1.7779 or earlier may be exposed, especially where the DPM web interface is reachable from untrusted networks or broadly available internally.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation. The CVSS vector indicates exploitation is network reachable but high complexity. No exploit maturity or public exploitation evidence is provided in the supplied sources.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to CVE metadata, SolarWinds advisory references, and release notes. Do not assume affected CPEs, exploit availability, or a specific fixed build beyond what vendor documentation confirms. The no-privilege and no-user-interaction vector warrants careful validation despite high complexity.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory SolarWinds Database Performance Monitor deployments and versions.
- Review SolarWinds advisory and DPA 2022.2 release notes for vendor remediation guidance.
- Prioritize upgrade planning for versions at or below 2022.1.7779.
- Restrict DPM web interface access to trusted administrative networks.
- Monitor vendor guidance for additional fixes or compensating controls.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether any deployed DPM version is 2022.1.7779 or earlier.
- Map which users and networks can reach the DPM web interface.
- Review SolarWinds release notes and advisory against installed build numbers.
- Check security monitoring for suspicious DPM web activity involving complex SQL queries.
- Document whether the issue is externally reachable, internal-only, or not present.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-79: User-session and phishing behavior lookup
Client-side and session-facing weaknesses should be reviewed alongside initial-access and user-execution behaviors. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupDatabase behavior lookup
The CVE wording references database injection or access, so collection and exfiltration review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-35229 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Medium
- CVSS
- 6.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N2.24Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.8MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.solarwinds.com/trust-center/security-advisories/cve-2021-35229CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://documentation.solarwinds.com/en/success_center/dpa/content/release_notes/dpa_2022-2_release_notes.htmCVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation
Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.