CVE intelligence and bounded remediation
CVE-2021-47974 — VX Search security vulnerability
VX Search 13.5.28 contains an unquoted service path vulnerability in both VX Search Server and VX Search Enterprise services that allows local attackers to escalate privileges. Attackers can place malicious executables in unquoted path directories like C:\Program Files\VX Search to execute arbitrary code with LocalSystem privileges when services restart.
- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 8.5 (4.0)
- Published
- 2026-05-16
- CISA KEV
- Not currently listed
- Ecosystem
- software/application
- Weaknesses
- CWE-428
Affected products
No browser-safe affected-product rows are available.
Matched remediation archetype
Command, code, expression, and template injection
This catalog composition supplies bounded fallback guidance. Explicitly reviewed curated workflows load with the complete record below.
Check exposure
- Trace untrusted values to process execution, interpreters, evaluators, template engines, dynamic imports, and administrative scripting features.
- Determine whether the affected path is reachable across each trust boundary and which service account or host privilege it inherits.
- Review configuration for optional execution features, unsafe compatibility modes, and shell invocation.
Remediate safely
- Replace string-built commands or evaluated code with fixed operations and structured argument APIs that do not invoke a shell.
- Use strict allowlists for operation identifiers and reject unexpected input before it reaches any interpreter.
- Update the affected component and add inert regression tests covering metacharacters, encoding variants, and alternate request paths.
Authoritative sources
Complete CVE record and remediation plan
The detailed catalog view below loads this exact record, its source evidence, and the full seven-phase agentic change plan.