CVE-2021-33473: Dragonfly Arbitrary File Write Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-fj34-jhjx-xmvv
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CVSS 9.1
CWE-88
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-33473 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.1) arbitrary file write vulnerability (CWE-88: Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection')) affecting Dragonfly libraries in the RubyGems ecosystem. The issue involves arbitrary file write in dragonfly. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.4.0.

CVE-2021-33473 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-33473
GHSA Identifier GHSA-fj34-jhjx-xmvv
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.1
CWE Classification CWE-88: Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection')
Affected Product Dragonfly
Package Ecosystem RubyGems
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:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2021-33473

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

dragonfly fixed: 1.4.0 
Upgrade dragonfly to 1.4.0
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 dragonfly

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2021-33473, inspect your project dependencies for Dragonfly:

inspect dependencies for dragonfly

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Dragonfly in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.4.0), 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-88: Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection'), where the product constructs a string for a command to be executed by a separate component in another control sphere, but it does not properly delimit the intended arguments, options, or switches within that command string. In Dragonfly, 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 argument injection vulnerability in Dragonfly Ruby Gem v1.3.0 allows attackers to read and write arbitrary files when the verify_url option is disabled. This vulnerability is exploited via a crafted URL.

CVE-2021-33473 Affected Dragonfly Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.4.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
dragonfly
gem/dragonfly
RubyGems
< 1.4.0
1.4.0

References

NVD — CVE-2021-33473 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-33473
Dragonfly Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/markevans/dragonfly/issues/513
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/markevans/dragonfly/commit/25399297bb457f7fcf8e3f91e85945b255b111b5
Dragonfly Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/markevans/dragonfly
Dragonfly Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/dragonfly/CVE-2021-33473.yml
Dragonfly Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20220715-0004

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-33473?
CVE-2021-33473 is a security vulnerability in Dragonfly involving Arbitrary file write in dragonfly under CWE-88: Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection').
Which Dragonfly versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.4.0 across affected packages: dragonfly.
What version fixes CVE-2021-33473?
Upgrading to 1.4.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is dragonfly affected?
Yes, dragonfly is affected in releases prior to 1.4.0. Upgrade your dependency to 1.4.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-33473?
CVE-2021-33473 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-33473?
CVE-2021-33473 is classified under CWE-88: Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection') (The product constructs a string for a command to be executed by a separate component in another control sphere, but it does not properly delimit the intended arguments, options, or switches within that command string.).
How can I check RubyGems dependencies for CVE-2021-33473?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for dragonfly'. 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-fj34-jhjx-xmvv",
  "modified" : "2022-06-14T20:04:41Z",
  "published" : "2022-06-03T00:00:33Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-33473" ],
  "summary" : "Arbitrary file write in dragonfly",
  "details" : "An argument injection vulnerability in Dragonfly Ruby Gem v1.3.0 allows attackers to read and write arbitrary files when the verify_url option is disabled. This vulnerability is exploited via a crafted URL.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "RubyGems",
      "name" : "dragonfly"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.4.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-33473"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/markevans/dragonfly/issues/513"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/markevans/dragonfly/commit/25399297bb457f7fcf8e3f91e85945b255b111b5"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/markevans/dragonfly"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/rubysec/ruby-advisory-db/blob/master/gems/dragonfly/CVE-2021-33473.yml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20220715-0004"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-88" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-06-03T22:16:58Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-06-02T20:15:00Z"
  }
}