CVE-2021-23394: Studio 42/elfinder Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-qm58-cvvm-c5qr
CVSS 8.1
CWE-434
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-23394 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.1) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-434: Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type) affecting Studio 42/elfinder libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves elfinder unsafe upload filtering leading to remote code execution. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.1.58.

CVE-2021-23394 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-23394
GHSA Identifier GHSA-qm58-cvvm-c5qr
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification CWE-434: Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type
Affected Product Studio 42/elfinder
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.1

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2021-23394

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Studio 42/elfinder dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

studio-42/elfinder fixed: 2.1.58
Upgrade studio-42/elfinder to 2.1.58
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 studio-42/elfinder

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2021-23394, inspect your project dependencies for Studio 42/elfinder:

inspect dependencies for studio-42/elfinder

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Studio 42/elfinder in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.1.58), 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-434: Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type, where the product allows the upload or transfer of dangerous file types that are automatically processed within its environment. In Studio 42/elfinder, 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 Before elFinder 2.1.58, the upload filter did not disallow the upload of `.phar` files. As several Linux distributions are now shipping Apache configured in a way it will process these files as PHP scripts, attackers could gain arbitrary code execution on the server hosting the PHP connector (even in minimal configuration). ### Patches The issue has been addressed with https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder/commit/75ea92decc16a5daf7f618f85dc621d1b534b5e1, associating `.phar` files to the right MIME type. Unless explicitly allowed in the configuration, such files cannot be uploaded anymore. This patch is part of the last release of elFinder, 2.1.58. ### Workarounds If you can't update to 2.1.58, make sure your connector is not exposed without authentication. ### Important tips Server-side scripts can often be created as text files. Currently, elFinder has an appropriate MIME type set for file extensions that are generally runnable on a web server. However, the server has various settings. In some cases, the executable file may be judged as "text/plain". Therefore, elFinder installers should understand the extensions that can be executed on the web server where elFinder is installed, and check if there are any missing items in the elFinder settings. The elFinder PHP connector has an option "additionalMimeMap" that specifies the MIME type for each extension. See [#3295(comment)](https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder/issues/3295#issuecomment-853042139) for more information. ### References - https://snyk.io/vuln/composer:studio-42%2Felfinder - https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder/issues/3295 - Further technical details will be disclosed on https://blog.sonarsource.com/tag/security after some time. ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, you can contact: - The original reporters, by sending an email to support [at] snyk.io or vulnerability.research [at] sonarsource.com; - The maintainers, by opening an issue on this repository.

CVE-2021-23394 Affected Studio 42/elfinder Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.1.58
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
studio-42/elfinder
Packagist
< 2.1.58
2.1.58

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-23394?
CVE-2021-23394 is a security vulnerability in Studio 42/elfinder involving elFinder unsafe upload filtering leading to remote code execution under CWE-434: Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type.
Which Studio 42/elfinder versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.1.58 across affected packages: studio-42/elfinder.
What version fixes CVE-2021-23394?
Upgrading to 2.1.58 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is studio-42/elfinder affected?
Yes, studio-42/elfinder is affected in releases prior to 2.1.58. Upgrade your dependency to 2.1.58 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-23394?
CVE-2021-23394 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-23394?
CVE-2021-23394 is classified under CWE-434: Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type (The product allows the upload or transfer of dangerous file types that are automatically processed within its environment.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2021-23394?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for studio-42/elfinder'. 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-qm58-cvvm-c5qr",
  "modified" : "2022-08-11T00:02:52Z",
  "published" : "2021-06-15T15:51:02Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-23394" ],
  "summary" : "elFinder unsafe upload filtering leading to remote code execution",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nBefore elFinder 2.1.58, the upload filter did not disallow the upload of `.phar` files. As several Linux distributions are now shipping Apache configured in a way it will process these files as PHP scripts, attackers could gain arbitrary code execution on the server hosting the PHP connector (even in minimal configuration).\n\n### Patches\n\nThe issue has been addressed with https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder/commit/75ea92decc16a5daf7f618f85dc621d1b534b5e1, associating `.phar` files to the right MIME type. Unless explicitly allowed in the configuration, such files cannot be uploaded anymore. This patch is part of the last release of elFinder, 2.1.58.\n\n### Workarounds\n\nIf you can't update to 2.1.58, make sure your connector is not exposed without authentication.\n\n### Important tips\n\nServer-side scripts can often be created as text files. Currently, elFinder has an appropriate MIME type set for file extensions that are generally runnable on a web server.\n\nHowever, the server has various settings. In some cases, the executable file may be judged as \"text/plain\". Therefore, elFinder installers should understand the extensions that can be executed on the web server where elFinder is installed, and check if there are any missing items in the elFinder settings.\n\nThe elFinder PHP connector has an option \"additionalMimeMap\" that specifies the MIME type for each extension. See [#3295(comment)](https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder/issues/3295#issuecomment-853042139) for more information.\n\n### References\n\n- https://snyk.io/vuln/composer:studio-42%2Felfinder\n- https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder/issues/3295\n- Further technical details will be disclosed on https://blog.sonarsource.com/tag/security after some time.\n\n### For more information\n\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory, you can contact:\n- The original reporters, by sending an email to  support [at] snyk.io or vulnerability.research [at] sonarsource.com;\n- The maintainers, by opening an issue on this repository.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "studio-42/elfinder"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.1.58"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder/security/advisories/GHSA-qm58-cvvm-c5qr"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-23394"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder/issues/3295"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder/commit/75ea92decc16a5daf7f618f85dc621d1b534b5e1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://blog.sonarsource.com/elfinder-case-study-of-web-file-manager-vulnerabilities"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-PHP-STUDIO42ELFINDER-1290554"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-434" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-06-14T22:14:26Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-06-13T11:15:00Z"
  }
}