CVE-2021-36040: Magento/project community edition Magento Has A File Extension Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-2pq5-gpqf-g4r3
CVSS 9.1
CWE-20
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-36040 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.1) magento has a file extension vulnerability (CWE-20: Improper Input Validation) affecting Magento/project community edition libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves magento has a file extension restrictions bypass. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.4.2-p2, 2.3.7-p1.

CVE-2021-36040 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-36040
GHSA Identifier GHSA-2pq5-gpqf-g4r3
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.1
CWE Classification CWE-20: Improper Input Validation
Affected Product Magento/project community edition
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.1

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2021-36040

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

magento/project-community-edition fixed: Latest secure release
Upgrade magento/project-community-edition to Latest secure release
magento/community-edition fixed: Latest secure release
Upgrade magento/community-edition to Latest secure release
magento/community-edition fixed: 2.4.2-p2
Upgrade magento/community-edition to 2.4.2-p2
magento/community-edition fixed: Latest secure release
Upgrade magento/community-edition to Latest secure release
magento/community-edition fixed: 2.3.7-p1
Upgrade magento/community-edition to 2.3.7-p1
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

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

inspect dependencies for magento/project-community-edition

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2021-36040, inspect your project dependencies for Magento/project community edition:

inspect dependencies for magento/project-community-edition

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Magento/project community edition in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.4.2-p2), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation, where the product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly. In Magento/project community edition, 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

Magento Commerce versions 2.4.2 (and earlier), 2.4.2-p1 (and earlier) and 2.3.7 (and earlier) are affected by an improper input validation vulnerability. An attacker with admin privileges can upload a specially crafted file to bypass file extension restrictions and could lead to remote code execution.

CVE-2021-36040 Affected Magento/project community edition Versions

5 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.4.2-p22.3.7-p1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
magento/project-community-edition
Packagist
≤ 2.0.2
magento/community-edition
Packagist
2.4.2
All 1 versions
2.4.2
None specified
magento/community-edition
Packagist
≥ 2.4.2-p1
< 2.4.2-p2
2.4.2-p2
magento/community-edition
Packagist
2.3.7
All 1 versions
2.3.7
None specified
magento/community-edition
Packagist
< 2.3.7-p1
2.3.7-p1

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-36040?
CVE-2021-36040 is a security vulnerability in Magento/project community edition involving Magento has a file extension restrictions bypass under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation.
Which Magento/project community edition versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.4.2-p2, 2.3.7-p1 across affected packages: magento/project-community-edition, magento/community-edition.
What version fixes CVE-2021-36040?
Upgrading to 2.4.2-p2, 2.3.7-p1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is magento/project-community-edition affected?
Yes, magento/project-community-edition is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
Is magento/community-edition affected?
Yes, magento/community-edition is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release, 2.4.2-p2, 2.3.7-p1. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release, 2.4.2-p2, 2.3.7-p1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-36040?
CVE-2021-36040 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-36040?
CVE-2021-36040 is classified under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation (The product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2021-36040?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for magento/project-community-edition'. 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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-2pq5-gpqf-g4r3",
  "modified" : "2025-11-07T23:26:39Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T19:12:46Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-36040" ],
  "summary" : "Magento has a  file extension restrictions bypass",
  "details" : "Magento Commerce versions 2.4.2 (and earlier), 2.4.2-p1 (and earlier) and 2.3.7 (and earlier) are affected by an improper input validation vulnerability. An attacker with admin privileges can upload a specially crafted file to bypass file extension restrictions and could lead to remote code execution.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "magento/project-community-edition"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "2.0.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "magento/community-edition"
    },
    "versions" : [ "2.4.2" ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "magento/community-edition"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.4.2-p1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.4.2-p2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "magento/community-edition"
    },
    "versions" : [ "2.3.7" ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "magento/community-edition"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.3.7-p1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-36040"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/magento/magento2"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/magento/apsb21-64.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-11-07T23:26:39Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-09-01T15:15:00Z"
  }
}