What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-47901?

CVE-2021-47901 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 (Critical). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.1%.

Is there a public PoC exploit available for CVE-2021-47901?

Yes, a public proof-of-concept exploit is available for CVE-2021-47901. Prioritise patching immediately. EPSS: 0.1%.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2021-47901?

Within 24 hours: Immediately cease use of the --csv-report flag in Dirsearch 0.4.1 and switch to alternative reporting formats (JSON or standard output). Within 7 days: Audit all CSV reports generated in the past 90 days for evidence of exploitation and review system logs for suspicious activity on machines that opened these files. Within 30 days: Upgrade to Dirsearch 0.4.2 or later once patches are released, or migrate to an alternative directory enumeration tool with equivalent functionality.

CVE-2021-47901

CRITICAL

Improper Neutralization of Formula Elements in a CSV File (CWE-1236)

2026-01-27 disclosure@vulncheck.com

Code Injection

9.8

CVSS 3.1 · NVD

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Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness	CWE CWE-1236 OWASP Top 10:2025 A06:2021 - Vulnerable and Outdated Components ASVS 5.0 V1 - Encoding and Sanitization CSV injection prevention
Impact	CVSS 9.8 with PoC.
Exploit ScenarioDerived	Web paths inject formulas into CSV reports.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Why: CRITICAL severity + public POC available.

No patch listed yet 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Mar 12, 2026

Dirsearch 0.4.1 has CSV injection in scan reports.

Earlier versions of this analysis (1)

v1 Mar 12, 2026 - 21:55 CVSS 9.8

CSV injection in Dirsearch scan exports.

RemediationAI

Update Dirsearch.

Affected ProductsAI

Dirsearch 0.4.1

Affects your stack

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Technical ContextAI · show details

CWE-1236.

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Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 9.8 CRITICAL

AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Lifecycle Timeline

PoC Detected

Jan 29, 2026 - 16:31 vuln.today

Public exploit code

CVE Published

Jan 27, 2026 - 16:16 nvd

CRITICAL 9.8

DescriptionCVE.org

Dirsearch 0.4.1 contains a CSV injection vulnerability when using the --csv-report flag that allows attackers to inject formulas through redirected endpoints. Attackers can craft malicious server redirects with comma-separated paths containing Excel formulas to manipulate the generated CSV report.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Dirsearch 0.4.1 contains a critical CSV injection vulnerability that could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code on systems that generate CSV reports using this tool. This affects any organization using Dirsearch for security assessments or infrastructure scanning, potentially compromising analyst workstations and downstream systems that consume the generated reports.

Business Impact: High

Compensating Controls

Disable the --csv-report flag organization-wide immediately; restrict Dirsearch usage to trusted, air-gapped networks only; implement strict file handling procedures where CSV reports are never opened directly in Excel or spreadsheet applications without prior sanitization; use alternative output formats (JSON or text) for all assessments; deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) monitoring on analyst workstations to detect formula injection exploitation attempts.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score

0.1%

Top 80% exploitable

Exploit

POC

Public exploit code exists

Data Quality

5 sources

Confidence: Medium

NVD

CVE.org

EPSS

Exploit-DB

GitHub

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue

Severity CRITICAL

CISA KEV No

Public POC Yes

EPSS 0.1%

Patch available No

Active threat No

Deciding rule

CRITICAL severity + public POC available

What every action level means

Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.

Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived

Out-of-Cycle

Exploitation· derived

Poc

System Exposure· derived

Open

Automatable· derived

Yes

Human Impact

High

Priority Score

Low Medium High Critical

KEV: 0

EPSS: 0

CVSS: +49

PoC: +20

Weaponized: 0

Threat intel: 0

Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Code Injection CRITICAL

Code injection occurs when an application accepts user input and passes it directly into a language interpreter or evaluator without proper sanitization.