CVE-2021-43116: Nacos client Use Of Hard-coded Credentials Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-2g86-r6w2-wqqr
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CVSS 8.8
CWE-798 CWE-287
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-43116 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) use of hard-coded credentials vulnerability (CWE-798: Use of Hard-coded Credentials) affecting Nacos client libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves use of hard-coded credentials in nacos. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2021-43116 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-43116
GHSA Identifier GHSA-2g86-r6w2-wqqr
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-798: Use of Hard-coded Credentials
Affected Product Nacos client
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2021-43116

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Nacos client dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

com.alibaba.nacos:nacos-client fixed: Latest secure release 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.alibaba.nacos</groupId>
    <artifactId>nacos-client</artifactId>
    <version>Latest secure release</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.alibaba.nacos

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2021-43116, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.alibaba.nacos

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Nacos client in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.alibaba.nacos command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-798: Use of Hard-coded Credentials, where the product contains hard-coded credentials, such as a password or cryptographic key. In Nacos client, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

An Access Control vulnerability exists in Nacos 2.0.3 in the access prompt page; enter username and password, click on login to capture packets and then change the returned package, which lets a malicious user login.

CVE-2021-43116 Affected Nacos client Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
com.alibaba.nacos:nacos-client
maven/com.alibaba.nacos/nacos-client
Maven
≤ 2.0.3

References

NVD — CVE-2021-43116 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-43116
Nacos client Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/alibaba/nacos/issues/7127
Nacos client Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/alibaba/nacos/issues/7182
Nacos client Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/alibaba/nacos
Nacos client Security Information SECURITY
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/171638/Nacos-2.0.3-Access-Control.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-43116?
CVE-2021-43116 is a security vulnerability in Nacos client involving Use of Hard-coded Credentials in Nacos under CWE-798: Use of Hard-coded Credentials.
Which Nacos client versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: com.alibaba.nacos:nacos-client.
What version fixes CVE-2021-43116?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is nacos-client affected?
Yes, com.alibaba.nacos:nacos-client is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-43116?
CVE-2021-43116 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-43116?
CVE-2021-43116 is classified under CWE-798: Use of Hard-coded Credentials (The product contains hard-coded credentials, such as a password or cryptographic key.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-43116?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.alibaba.nacos'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-2g86-r6w2-wqqr",
  "modified" : "2022-07-14T21:36:29Z",
  "published" : "2022-07-06T00:00:30Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-43116" ],
  "summary" : "Use of Hard-coded Credentials in Nacos",
  "details" : "An Access Control vulnerability exists in Nacos 2.0.3 in the access prompt page; enter username and password, click on login to capture packets and then change the returned package, which lets a malicious user login.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.alibaba.nacos:nacos-client"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "2.0.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-43116"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/alibaba/nacos/issues/7127"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/alibaba/nacos/issues/7182"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/alibaba/nacos"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/171638/Nacos-2.0.3-Access-Control.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-287", "CWE-798" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-07-06T20:01:34Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-07-05T14:15:00Z"
  }
}