CVE-2021-36042: Magento/project community edition Magento Executes Code Vulnerability
CRITICALCVE-2021-36042 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.1) magento executes code vulnerability (CWE-20: Improper Input Validation) affecting Magento/project community edition libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves magento executes code via the api file option upload extension. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.4.2-p2, 2.3.7-p1.
CVE-2021-36042 at a Glance
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).
How to Fix CVE-2021-36042
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.
Upgrade magento/project-community-edition to Latest secure releaseUpgrade magento/community-edition to Latest secure releaseUpgrade magento/community-edition to 2.4.2-p2Upgrade magento/community-edition to Latest secure releaseUpgrade magento/community-edition to 2.3.7-p1Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
inspect dependencies for magento/project-community-editionHow to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2021-36042, inspect your project dependencies for Magento/project community edition:
inspect dependencies for magento/project-community-editionAnalyze 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
CVE-2021-36042 Affected Magento/project community edition Versions
5 component(s)| 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-2021-36042?
Which Magento/project community edition versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2021-36042?
Is magento/project-community-edition affected?
Is magento/community-edition affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-36042?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-36042?
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2021-36042?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-6cwv-wj7v-73xp",
"modified" : "2025-11-07T23:27:50Z",
"published" : "2022-05-24T19:12:46Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-36042" ],
"summary" : "Magento executes code via the API File Option Upload Extension",
"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 in the API File Option Upload Extension. An attacker with Admin privileges can achieve unrestricted file upload which can result in 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-2021-36042"
}, {
"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" : "2025-11-07T23:27:50Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2021-09-01T15:15:00Z"
}
}