Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-38618 is an authentication bypass in the GFOS Workforce Management login page. A person who knows a target account’s non-password credentials may access that account because session handling is mismanaged. This can expose sensitive workforce data and allow unauthorized account actions.
Executive priority
Prioritize this as high where GFOS Workforce Management 4.8.272.1 is exposed or stores sensitive employee data. The issue can undermine password-based access control, but active exploitation is not evidenced in the provided sources.
Technical view
The issue is reported in GFOS Workforce Management 4.8.272.1. It is caused by JSESSIONID mismanagement in the login flow, enabling authentication bypass without knowing the password. The CVSS 3.1 score is 7.4 high, with network attack vector, no privileges, no user interaction, and high confidentiality and integrity impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where GFOS Workforce Management 4.8.272.1 is deployed, especially if the login page is internet-accessible. The source bundle does not establish broader affected versions, CPEs, or other GFOS products.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not cite active exploitation, and this CVE is not marked KEV. Exploitation is described as network-accessible but high complexity, requiring knowledge of a user’s credentials except the password. Treat exploit status as unconfirmed.
Researcher notes
The available record identifies JSESSIONID mismanagement as the root cause but provides limited remediation and affected-version detail. Avoid assuming other versions are affected without vendor confirmation. Validation should focus on version identification, exposure, session behavior, and post-fix regression testing.
Mitigation direction
- Check GFOS, Excellium, and Thales guidance for the vendor-supported fix or workaround.
- Restrict access to the GFOS login page using VPN, IP allowlisting, or internal-only exposure.
- Prioritize upgrade or remediation for internet-facing or sensitive workforce management deployments.
- Review and invalidate active sessions after remediation if vendor guidance supports it.
Validation and detection
- Inventory GFOS Workforce Management deployments and confirm whether version 4.8.272.1 is present.
- Determine whether the login page is reachable from the internet or untrusted networks.
- Review authentication and session logs for unusual account access patterns.
- Run authorized regression testing for login and session handling after remediation.
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.
Credential and access behavior lookup
The CVE wording references authentication or credential exposure, so valid-account and credential-access review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-38618 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
- High
- CVSS
- 7.4 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AC:H/AV:N/A:N/C:H/I:H/PR:N/S:U/UI: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/AC:H/AV:N/A:N/C:H/I:H/PR:N/S:U/UI:N2.25.2Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.4HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AC:H/AV:N/A:N/C:H/I:H/PR:N/S:U/UI:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://excellium-services.com/cert-xlm-advisory/cve-2021-38618/CVE reference
- https://cds.thalesgroup.com/en/tcs-cert/CVE-2021-38618CVE reference
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.