CVE-2021-42135: Github.com/hashicorp/vault Incorrect Privilege Assignment Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-362v-wg5p-64w2
Share
CVSS 8.1
CWE-266 CWE-863
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-42135 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.1) incorrect privilege assignment vulnerability (CWE-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment) affecting Github.com/hashicorp/vault libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves incorrect privilege assignment in hashicorp vault. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2021-42135 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-42135
GHSA Identifier GHSA-362v-wg5p-64w2
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification CWE-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment
Affected Product Github.com/hashicorp/vault
Package Ecosystem Go
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:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2021-42135

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

github.com/hashicorp/vault fixed: Latest secure release 
Upgrade github.com/hashicorp/vault 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 github.com/hashicorp/vault

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2021-42135, inspect your project dependencies for Github.com/hashicorp/vault:

inspect dependencies for github.com/hashicorp/vault

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Github.com/hashicorp/vault in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), 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-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment, where a product incorrectly assigns a privilege to a particular actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor. In Github.com/hashicorp/vault, 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

HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise 1.8.x through 1.8.4 may have an unexpected interaction between glob-related policies and the Google Cloud secrets engine. Users may, in some situations, have more privileges than intended, e.g., a user with read permission for the /gcp/roleset/* path may be able to issue Google Cloud service account credentials.

CVE-2021-42135 Affected Github.com/hashicorp/vault Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
github.com/hashicorp/vault
golang/github.com/hashicorp/vault
Go
≥ 1.8.0
≤ 1.8.4

References

NVD — CVE-2021-42135 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-42135
discuss.hashicorp.com/t/hcsec-2021-28-vau... WEB
https://discuss.hashicorp.com/t/hcsec-2021-28-vaults-google-cloud-secrets-engine-policies-with-globs-may-provide-additional-privileges-in-vault-1-8-0-onwards
Github.com/hashicorp/vault Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/hashicorp/vault
Github.com/hashicorp/vault Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md#180

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-42135?
CVE-2021-42135 is a security vulnerability in Github.com/hashicorp/vault involving Incorrect Privilege Assignment in HashiCorp Vault under CWE-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment.
Which Github.com/hashicorp/vault versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: github.com/hashicorp/vault.
What version fixes CVE-2021-42135?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is github.com/hashicorp/vault affected?
Yes, github.com/hashicorp/vault is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-42135?
CVE-2021-42135 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-42135?
CVE-2021-42135 is classified under CWE-266: Incorrect Privilege Assignment (A product incorrectly assigns a privilege to a particular actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.).
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2021-42135?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for github.com/hashicorp/vault'. 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-362v-wg5p-64w2",
  "modified" : "2021-10-20T17:28:19Z",
  "published" : "2021-10-12T18:41:16Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-42135" ],
  "summary" : "Incorrect Privilege Assignment in HashiCorp Vault",
  "details" : "HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise 1.8.x through 1.8.4 may have an unexpected interaction between glob-related policies and the Google Cloud secrets engine. Users may, in some situations, have more privileges than intended, e.g., a user with read permission for the /gcp/roleset/* path may be able to issue Google Cloud service account credentials.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/hashicorp/vault"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.8.0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "1.8.4"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-42135"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://discuss.hashicorp.com/t/hcsec-2021-28-vaults-google-cloud-secrets-engine-policies-with-globs-may-provide-additional-privileges-in-vault-1-8-0-onwards"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/hashicorp/vault"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md#180"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-266", "CWE-863" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-10-12T16:53:55Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-10-11T03:15:00Z"
  }
}