CVE-2021-37627: Contao/core bundle Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-hq5m-mqmx-fw6m
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CVSS 8.0
CWE-269
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-37627 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.0) privilege escalation vulnerability (CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management) affecting Contao/core bundle libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves privilege escalation via form generator. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.4.56, 4.9.18, 4.11.7.

CVE-2021-37627 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-37627
GHSA Identifier GHSA-hq5m-mqmx-fw6m
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.0
CWE Classification CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management
Affected Product Contao/core bundle
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.0

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
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-2021-37627

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

contao/core-bundle fixed: 4.4.56 
Upgrade contao/core-bundle to 4.4.56
contao/core-bundle fixed: 4.9.18 
Upgrade contao/core-bundle to 4.9.18
contao/core-bundle fixed: 4.11.7 
Upgrade contao/core-bundle to 4.11.7
contao/contao fixed: 4.4.56 
Upgrade contao/contao to 4.4.56
contao/contao fixed: 4.9.18 
Upgrade contao/contao to 4.9.18
contao/contao fixed: 4.11.7 
Upgrade contao/contao to 4.11.7
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 contao/core-bundle

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2021-37627, inspect your project dependencies for Contao/core bundle:

inspect dependencies for contao/core-bundle

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Contao/core bundle in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.4.56), 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-269: Improper Privilege Management, where the product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor. In Contao/core bundle, 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

### Impact It is possible for untrusted users to gain administrator rights with the form generator. Installations are only affected if there are untrusted back end users with access to the form generator. ### Patches Update to Contao 4.4.56, 4.9.18 or 4.11.7. ### Workarounds Disable the form generator or disable the login for untrusted back end users. ### References https://contao.org/en/security-advisories/privilege-escalation-with-the-form-generator ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, open an issue in [contao/contao](https://github.com/contao/contao/issues/new/choose).

CVE-2021-37627 Affected Contao/core bundle Versions

6 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.4.564.9.184.11.7
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
contao/core-bundle
 Packagist
≥ 4.0.0
< 4.4.56
4.4.56
contao/core-bundle
 Packagist
≥ 4.5.0
< 4.9.18
4.9.18
contao/core-bundle
 Packagist
≥ 4.10.0
< 4.11.7
4.11.7
contao/contao
 Packagist
≥ 4.0.0
< 4.4.56
4.4.56
contao/contao
 Packagist
≥ 4.5.0
< 4.9.18
4.9.18
contao/contao
 Packagist
≥ 4.10.0
< 4.11.7
4.11.7

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/contao/contao/security/advisories/GHSA-hq5m-mqmx-fw6m
NVD — CVE-2021-37627 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-37627
Contao/core bundle Security Information SECURITY
https://contao.org/en/security-advisories/privilege-escalation-with-the-form-generator.html
Contao/core bundle Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/contao/contao/CVE-2021-37627.yaml
Contao/core bundle Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/contao/core-bundle/CVE-2021-37627.yaml
Contao/core bundle Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/contao/contao

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-37627?
CVE-2021-37627 is a security vulnerability in Contao/core bundle involving Privilege escalation via form generator under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management.
Which Contao/core bundle versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.4.56, 4.9.18, 4.11.7 across affected packages: contao/core-bundle, contao/contao.
What version fixes CVE-2021-37627?
Upgrading to 4.4.56, 4.9.18, 4.11.7 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is contao/core-bundle affected?
Yes, contao/core-bundle is affected in releases prior to 4.4.56, 4.9.18, 4.11.7. Upgrade your dependency to 4.4.56, 4.9.18, 4.11.7 or later.
Is contao/contao affected?
Yes, contao/contao is affected in releases prior to 4.4.56, 4.9.18, 4.11.7. Upgrade your dependency to 4.4.56, 4.9.18, 4.11.7 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-37627?
CVE-2021-37627 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.0 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-37627?
CVE-2021-37627 is classified under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management (The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2021-37627?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for contao/core-bundle'. 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-hq5m-mqmx-fw6m",
  "modified" : "2024-04-22T18:40:15Z",
  "published" : "2021-08-23T19:41:22Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-37627" ],
  "summary" : "Privilege escalation via form generator",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nIt is possible for untrusted users to gain administrator rights with the form generator.\n\nInstallations are only affected if there are untrusted back end users with access to the form generator.\n\n### Patches\n\nUpdate to Contao 4.4.56, 4.9.18 or 4.11.7.\n\n### Workarounds\n\nDisable the form generator or disable the login for untrusted back end users.\n\n### References\n\nhttps://contao.org/en/security-advisories/privilege-escalation-with-the-form-generator\n\n### For more information\n\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory, open an issue in [contao/contao](https://github.com/contao/contao/issues/new/choose).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "contao/core-bundle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.4.56"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "contao/core-bundle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.5.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.9.18"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "contao/core-bundle"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.10.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.11.7"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "contao/contao"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.4.56"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "contao/contao"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.5.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.9.18"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "contao/contao"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.10.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.11.7"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/contao/contao/security/advisories/GHSA-hq5m-mqmx-fw6m"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-37627"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://contao.org/en/security-advisories/privilege-escalation-with-the-form-generator.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/contao/contao/CVE-2021-37627.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/FriendsOfPHP/security-advisories/blob/master/contao/core-bundle/CVE-2021-37627.yaml"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/contao/contao"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-269" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-08-23T16:52:36Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-08-11T23:15:00Z"
  }
}