CVE-2021-36036: Magento/project community edition Magento Improper Access Control Vulnerability Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-wqr6-wv6c-p8fx
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CVSS 9.1
CWE-284
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-36036 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.1) magento improper access control vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-284: Improper Access Control) affecting Magento/project community edition libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves magento improper access control vulnerability within magento's media gallery upload workflow. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.3.7-p1, 2.4.2-p2.

CVE-2021-36036 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-36036
GHSA Identifier GHSA-wqr6-wv6c-p8fx
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.1
CWE Classification CWE-284: Improper Access Control
Affected Product Magento/project community edition
Package Ecosystem Packagist
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:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
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-2021-36036

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-2021-36036, 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-284: Improper Access Control, where the product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor. 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 versions 2.4.2 (and earlier), 2.4.2-p1 (and earlier) and 2.3.7 (and earlier) are affected by an improper access control vulnerability within Magento's Media Gallery Upload workflow. By storing a specially crafted file in the website gallery, an authenticated attacker with administrative privilege can gain access to delete the .htaccess file. This could result in the attacker achieving remote code execution.

CVE-2021-36036 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-2021-36036 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-36036
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-2021-36036?
CVE-2021-36036 is a security vulnerability in Magento/project community edition involving Magento improper access control vulnerability within Magento's Media Gallery Upload workflow under CWE-284: Improper Access Control.
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-2021-36036?
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 is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-36036?
CVE-2021-36036 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-36036?
CVE-2021-36036 is classified under CWE-284: Improper Access Control (The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2021-36036?
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-wqr6-wv6c-p8fx",
  "modified" : "2025-11-06T17:29:19Z",
  "published" : "2023-09-06T15:30:27Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-36036" ],
  "summary" : "Magento improper access control vulnerability within Magento's Media Gallery Upload workflow",
  "details" : "Magento versions 2.4.2 (and earlier), 2.4.2-p1 (and earlier) and 2.3.7 (and earlier) are affected by an improper access control vulnerability within Magento's Media Gallery Upload workflow. By storing a specially crafted file in the website gallery, an authenticated attacker with administrative privilege can gain access to delete the .htaccess file. This could result in the attacker achieving remote code execution.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "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-2021-36036"
  }, {
    "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-284" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-11-06T17:29:19Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-09-06T14:15:09Z"
  }
}