Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
JetBrains YouTrack versions before 2021.2.16363 stored system user passwords using plain SHA-256 hashing. SHA-256 is fast and not designed for password storage, so stolen hashes may be easier to attack offline. The provided sources do not give a CVSS score or evidence of active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat this as a targeted upgrade and credential-risk review, not an emergency internet-wide exploit event based on the provided evidence. Prioritize exposed, externally reachable, or poorly controlled YouTrack environments first.
Technical view
The issue is weak password hashing for YouTrack system user passwords before 2021.2.16363. The available description does not identify an authentication bypass or remote exploit path. Practical risk depends on whether an attacker can access stored hashes through database, backup, filesystem, or administrative compromise.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to JetBrains YouTrack deployments running versions earlier than 2021.2.16363. Organizations without YouTrack, or already on 2021.2.16363 or later, are not shown as affected by the provided sources.
Exploitation context
The source bundle marks KEV as false and provides no cited evidence of exploitation in the wild. This is mainly a post-compromise or data-exposure risk because weak hashing matters most if password hashes are obtained.
Researcher notes
The public record is sparse: no CVSS, CWE, exploit evidence, or detailed root-cause notes are included in the supplied bundle. Avoid assuming broader JetBrains product impact beyond YouTrack before 2021.2.16363.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory JetBrains YouTrack instances and record exact versions.
- Upgrade affected YouTrack deployments to 2021.2.16363 or later.
- Review JetBrains guidance for any additional required remediation.
- Assess database and backup access controls for hash exposure risk.
- Rotate relevant passwords if vendor guidance or exposure review supports it.
Validation and detection
- Confirm each YouTrack instance version is 2021.2.16363 or later.
- Check asset inventory for unmanaged or legacy YouTrack deployments.
- Review logs and access records for database or backup exposure.
- Verify backup stores are access-controlled and encrypted.
- Document remediation status for vulnerability management tracking.
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.
CVE-2021-37551 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
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
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 and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://blog.jetbrains.com/blog/2021/08/05/jetbrains-security-bulletin-q2-2021/CVE 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.