CVE-2021-32682: Studio 42/elfinder Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-wph3-44rj-92pr
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-78 CWE-918 CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-32682 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')) affecting Studio 42/elfinder libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves elfinder before 2.1.59 contains multiple vulnerabilities leading to rce. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.1.59.

CVE-2021-32682 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-32682
GHSA Identifier GHSA-wph3-44rj-92pr
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
Affected Product Studio 42/elfinder
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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:N/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 None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2021-32682

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: 2.1.59 
Upgrade studio-42/elfinder to 2.1.59
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-2021-32682, 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 2.1.59), 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-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of an os command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended os command when it is sent to a downstream component. 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 We recently fixed several vulnerabilities affect elFinder 2.1.58. These vulnerabilities can allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code and commands on the server hosting the elFinder PHP connector, even with the minimal configuration. ### Patches The issues were addressed in our last release, 2.1.59. ### Workarounds If you can't update to 2.1.59, make sure your connector is not exposed without authentication. ### Reference 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 vulnerability.research@sonarsource.com; - The maintainers, by opening an issue on this repository.

CVE-2021-32682 Affected Studio 42/elfinder Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.1.59
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
studio-42/elfinder
 Packagist
< 2.1.59
2.1.59

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder/security/advisories/GHSA-qm58-cvvm-c5qr
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder/security/advisories/GHSA-wph3-44rj-92pr
NVD — CVE-2021-32682 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-32682
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder/commit/a106c350b7dfe666a81d6b576816db9fe0899b17
blog.sonarsource.com/elfinder-case-study... WEB
https://blog.sonarsource.com/elfinder-case-study-of-web-file-manager-vulnerabilities
Studio 42/elfinder Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder
Studio 42/elfinder Security Information SECURITY
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/164173/elFinder-Archive-Command-Injection.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-32682?
CVE-2021-32682 is a security vulnerability in Studio 42/elfinder involving elFinder before 2.1.59 contains multiple vulnerabilities leading to RCE under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection').
Which Studio 42/elfinder versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.1.59 across affected packages: studio-42/elfinder.
What version fixes CVE-2021-32682?
Upgrading to 2.1.59 (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 2.1.59. Upgrade your dependency to 2.1.59 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-32682?
CVE-2021-32682 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-32682?
CVE-2021-32682 is classified under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') (The product constructs all or part of an OS command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended OS command when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2021-32682?
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
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-wph3-44rj-92pr",
  "modified" : "2022-08-11T00:02:01Z",
  "published" : "2021-06-16T17:04:29Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-32682" ],
  "summary" : "elFinder before 2.1.59 contains multiple vulnerabilities leading to RCE",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nWe recently fixed several vulnerabilities affect elFinder 2.1.58. These vulnerabilities can allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code and commands on the server hosting the elFinder PHP connector, even with the minimal configuration. \n\n### Patches\n\nThe issues were addressed in our last release, 2.1.59. \n\n### Workarounds\n\nIf you can't update to 2.1.59, make sure your connector is not exposed without authentication.\n\n### Reference\n\nFurther 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 vulnerability.research@sonarsource.com;\n    - The maintainers, by opening an issue on this repository.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/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" : "2.1.59"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder/security/advisories/GHSA-qm58-cvvm-c5qr"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder/security/advisories/GHSA-wph3-44rj-92pr"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-32682"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Studio-42/elFinder/commit/a106c350b7dfe666a81d6b576816db9fe0899b17"
  }, {
    "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" : "http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/164173/elFinder-Archive-Command-Injection.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22", "CWE-78", "CWE-918" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-06-15T21:01:45Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-06-14T17:15:00Z"
  }
}