CVE-2021-36033: Magento/project community edition Magento XML Injection Vulnerability Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-p746-qw73-qmmx
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CWE-91
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-36033 is a CRITICAL magento xml injection vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-91: XML Injection (aka Blind XPath Injection)) affecting Magento/project community edition libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves magento xml injection vulnerability in the widgets module. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.3.7-p1, 2.4.2-p2.

CVE-2021-36033 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-36033
GHSA Identifier GHSA-p746-qw73-qmmx
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-91: XML Injection (aka Blind XPath Injection)
Affected Product Magento/project community edition
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2021-36033

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.

magento/project-community-edition fixed: Latest secure release 
Upgrade magento/project-community-edition to Latest secure release
magento/community-edition fixed: 2.3.7-p1 
Upgrade magento/community-edition to 2.3.7-p1
magento/community-edition fixed: Latest secure release 
Upgrade magento/community-edition to Latest secure release
magento/community-edition fixed: 2.4.2-p2 
Upgrade magento/community-edition to 2.4.2-p2
magento/community-edition fixed: Latest secure release 
Upgrade magento/community-edition to Latest secure release
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 magento/project-community-edition

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2021-36033, inspect your project dependencies for Magento/project community edition:

inspect dependencies for magento/project-community-edition

Analyze 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-91: XML Injection (aka Blind XPath Injection), where the product does not properly neutralize special elements that are used in xml, allowing attackers to modify the syntax, content, or commands of the xml before it is processed by an end system. 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

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 Module. An attacker with admin privileges can trigger a specially crafted script to achieve remote code execution.

CVE-2021-36033 Affected Magento/project community edition Versions

5 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.3.7-p12.4.2-p2
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

NVD — CVE-2021-36033 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-36033
Magento/project community edition Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/magento/magento2
Magento/project community edition Security Information SECURITY
https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/magento/apsb21-64.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-36033?
CVE-2021-36033 is a security vulnerability in Magento/project community edition involving Magento XML Injection vulnerability in the Widgets Module under CWE-91: XML Injection (aka Blind XPath Injection).
Which Magento/project community edition versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.3.7-p1, 2.4.2-p2 across affected packages: magento/project-community-edition, magento/community-edition.
What version fixes CVE-2021-36033?
Upgrading to 2.3.7-p1, 2.4.2-p2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is magento/project-community-edition affected?
Yes, magento/project-community-edition is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
Is magento/community-edition affected?
Yes, magento/community-edition is affected in releases prior to 2.3.7-p1, Latest secure release, 2.4.2-p2. Upgrade your dependency to 2.3.7-p1, Latest secure release, 2.4.2-p2 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-36033?
CVE-2021-36033 is classified under CWE-91: XML Injection (aka Blind XPath Injection) (The product does not properly neutralize special elements that are used in XML, allowing attackers to modify the syntax, content, or commands of the XML before it is processed by an end system.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2021-36033?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for magento/project-community-edition'. 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-p746-qw73-qmmx",
  "modified" : "2025-11-06T23:42:40Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T19:12:47Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-36033" ],
  "summary" : "Magento XML Injection vulnerability in the Widgets Module",
  "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 Module. An attacker with admin privileges can trigger a specially crafted script to achieve remote code execution.",
  "severity" : [ ],
  "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-2021-36033"
  }, {
    "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-91" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-11-06T23:42:40Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-09-01T15:15:00Z"
  }
}