CVE-2021-25994: Userfrosting/userfrosting Injection Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-cv25-3gmg-c6m8
CVSS 8.8
CWE-74
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-25994 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) injection vulnerability (CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')) affecting Userfrosting/userfrosting libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves injection in userfrosting. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.6.3.

CVE-2021-25994 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-25994
GHSA Identifier GHSA-cv25-3gmg-c6m8
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
Affected Product Userfrosting/userfrosting
Package Ecosystem Packagist
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:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

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

How to Fix CVE-2021-25994

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

userfrosting/userfrosting fixed: 4.6.3
Upgrade userfrosting/userfrosting to 4.6.3
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 userfrosting/userfrosting

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2021-25994, inspect your project dependencies for Userfrosting/userfrosting:

inspect dependencies for userfrosting/userfrosting

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Userfrosting/userfrosting in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.6.3), 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-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component. In Userfrosting/userfrosting, 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

In Userfrosting, versions v0.3.1 to v4.6.2 are vulnerable to Host Header Injection. By luring a victim application user to click on a link, an unauthenticated attacker can use the “forgot password” functionality to reset the victim’s password and successfully take over their account.

CVE-2021-25994 Affected Userfrosting/userfrosting Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.6.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
userfrosting/userfrosting
Packagist
≥ 0.3.1
< 4.6.3
4.6.3

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-25994?
CVE-2021-25994 is a security vulnerability in Userfrosting/userfrosting involving Injection in UserFrosting under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection').
Which Userfrosting/userfrosting versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.6.3 across affected packages: userfrosting/userfrosting.
What version fixes CVE-2021-25994?
Upgrading to 4.6.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is userfrosting/userfrosting affected?
Yes, userfrosting/userfrosting is affected in releases prior to 4.6.3. Upgrade your dependency to 4.6.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-25994?
CVE-2021-25994 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-25994?
CVE-2021-25994 is classified under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2021-25994?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for userfrosting/userfrosting'. 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-cv25-3gmg-c6m8",
  "modified" : "2022-01-14T19:42:47Z",
  "published" : "2022-01-06T22:22:32Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-25994" ],
  "summary" : "Injection in UserFrosting",
  "details" : "In Userfrosting, versions v0.3.1 to v4.6.2 are vulnerable to Host Header Injection. By luring a victim application user to click on a link, an unauthenticated attacker can use the “forgot password” functionality to reset the victim’s password and successfully take over their account.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "userfrosting/userfrosting"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0.3.1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.6.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-25994"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/userfrosting/UserFrosting/commit/796dd78757902435d1bd286415feea78098e45ba"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/userfrosting/UserFrosting"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.whitesourcesoftware.com/vulnerability-database/CVE-2021-25994"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-74" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-01-06T19:40:35Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-01-03T07:15:00Z"
  }
}