CVE-2021-38289: An issue has been discovered in Novastar-VNNOX-iCare Novaicare 7.16.0 that gives attacker privilege escalation

This month

HIGH 8.8DOWNGRADE

CVE-2021-38289 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 8.8) affecting novaicare. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

An issue has been discovered in Novastar-VNNOX-iCare Novaicare 7.16.0 that gives attacker privilege escalation and allows attackers to view corporate information and SMTP server details, delete users, view roles, and other unspecified impacts. NOTE: As of April 2026, the vendor has officially decommissioned the affected legacy endpoints and associated services. The vulnerability is mitigated as the functional logic is no longer operational and th

Why this priority

High severity
Public exploit reference

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	8.8 (High)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	Low
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	1.6% (top 25%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-732
Published	2022-07-12
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: novastar

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2022-07-12 14:15 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 04:01 UTCUpdated Record last modified

novastar novaicare DOWNGRADE

Affected: 7.16.0

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 7.16.0

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy novaicare || rpm -q novaicare || novaicare --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 7.16.0 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison novaicare sudo apt install novaicare=<VERSION_BEFORE_7.16.0> sudo apt-mark hold novaicare

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list novaicare sudo dnf downgrade novaicare-<VERSION_BEFORE_7.16.0> sudo dnf versionlock add novaicare

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2021-38289?

novaicare: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2021-38289 being exploited?

CVE-2021-38289 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2021-38289 affect?

CVE-2021-38289 affects novaicare. Severity is high (CVSS 8.8). An issue has been discovered in Novastar-VNNOX-iCare Novaicare 7.16.0 that gives attacker privilege escalation and allows attackers to view corporate information and SMTP server details, delete users, view roles, and other unspecified impac

How urgent is CVE-2021-38289?

Priority 55/100. High severity; Public exploit reference

References

← Back to latest CVEs