CVE-2021-36023: Magento/project community edition Magento XML Injection Vulnerability Vulnerability
CRITICALCVE-2021-36023 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.1) magento xml injection vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')) affecting Magento/project community edition libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves magento xml injection vulnerability in the widgets update layout. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.3.7-p1, 2.4.2-p2.
CVE-2021-36023 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-2021-36023
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 2.3.7-p1Upgrade magento/community-edition to Latest secure releaseUpgrade magento/community-edition to 2.4.2-p2Upgrade magento/community-edition to Latest secure releaseRun 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-2021-36023, 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 2.3.7-p1), 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-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of an os command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended os command when it is sent to a downstream component. 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-2021-36023 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 |
< 2.3.7-p1
|
2.3.7-p1
|
|
magento/community-edition
|
Packagist |
2.3.7
All 1 versions
2.3.7
|
None specified
|
|
magento/community-edition
|
Packagist |
≥ 2.4.2-p1
< 2.4.2-p2
|
2.4.2-p2
|
|
magento/community-edition
|
Packagist |
2.4.2
All 1 versions
2.4.2
|
None specified
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2021-36023?
Which Magento/project community edition versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2021-36023?
Is magento/project-community-edition affected?
Is magento/community-edition affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-36023?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-36023?
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2021-36023?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-8cjg-f53m-8m9q",
"modified" : "2025-11-06T17:29:26Z",
"published" : "2023-09-06T15:30:27Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-36023" ],
"summary" : "Magento XML Injection vulnerability in the Widgets Update Layout",
"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 XML Injection vulnerability in the Widgets Update Layout. An attacker with admin privileges can trigger a specially crafted script to achieve 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"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "2.3.7-p1"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Packagist",
"name" : "magento/community-edition"
},
"versions" : [ "2.3.7" ]
}, {
"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" : [ "2.4.2" ]
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-36023"
}, {
"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-78" ],
"severity" : "CRITICAL",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2025-11-06T17:29:26Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2023-09-06T14:15:08Z"
}
}