CVE-2021-43257: Mantisbt/mantisbt MantisBT CSV Injection Unprivileged User Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-rg8f-5p7x-m6wv
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CVSS 7.8
CWE-1236
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-43257 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.8) mantisbt csv injection unprivileged user vulnerability (CWE-1236: Improper Neutralization of Formula Elements in a CSV File) affecting Mantisbt/mantisbt libraries in the Packagist ecosystem. The issue involves mantisbt csv injection unprivileged user access in csv_export.php. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.25.3.

CVE-2021-43257 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-43257
GHSA Identifier GHSA-rg8f-5p7x-m6wv
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.8
CWE Classification CWE-1236: Improper Neutralization of Formula Elements in a CSV File
Affected Product Mantisbt/mantisbt
Package Ecosystem Packagist
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.8

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2021-43257

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

mantisbt/mantisbt fixed: 2.25.3 
Upgrade mantisbt/mantisbt to 2.25.3
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 mantisbt/mantisbt

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2021-43257, inspect your project dependencies for Mantisbt/mantisbt:

inspect dependencies for mantisbt/mantisbt

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Mantisbt/mantisbt in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.25.3), 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-1236: Improper Neutralization of Formula Elements in a CSV File, where the product saves user-provided information into a comma-separated value (csv) file, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could be interpreted as a command when the file is opened by a spreadsheet product. In Mantisbt/mantisbt, 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

Lack of Neutralization of Formula Elements in the CSV API of MantisBT before 2.25.3 allows an unprivileged attacker to execute code or gain access to information when a user opens the csv_export.php generated CSV file in Excel.

CVE-2021-43257 Affected Mantisbt/mantisbt Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.25.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
mantisbt/mantisbt
 Packagist
< 2.25.3
2.25.3

References

NVD — CVE-2021-43257 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-43257
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/mantisbt/mantisbt/commit/7f4534c723e3162b8784aebda4836324041dbc3e
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/mantisbt/mantisbt/commit/99eb8d41cbacc703f88807898dcc9ac55eec0f15
Mantisbt/mantisbt Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mantisbt/mantisbt
www.mantisbt.org/bugs/view.php WEB
https://www.mantisbt.org/bugs/view.php?id=29130

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-43257?
CVE-2021-43257 is a security vulnerability in Mantisbt/mantisbt involving MantisBT CSV Injection unprivileged user access in csv_export.php under CWE-1236: Improper Neutralization of Formula Elements in a CSV File.
Which Mantisbt/mantisbt versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.25.3 across affected packages: mantisbt/mantisbt.
What version fixes CVE-2021-43257?
Upgrading to 2.25.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is mantisbt/mantisbt affected?
Yes, mantisbt/mantisbt is affected in releases prior to 2.25.3. Upgrade your dependency to 2.25.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-43257?
CVE-2021-43257 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-43257?
CVE-2021-43257 is classified under CWE-1236: Improper Neutralization of Formula Elements in a CSV File (The product saves user-provided information into a Comma-Separated Value (CSV) file, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could be interpreted as a command when the file is opened by a spreadsheet product.).
How can I check Packagist dependencies for CVE-2021-43257?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for mantisbt/mantisbt'. 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-rg8f-5p7x-m6wv",
  "modified" : "2025-05-30T14:07:27Z",
  "published" : "2022-04-15T00:00:38Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-43257" ],
  "summary" : "MantisBT CSV Injection unprivileged user access in csv_export.php",
  "details" : "Lack of Neutralization of Formula Elements in the CSV API of MantisBT before 2.25.3 allows an unprivileged attacker to execute code or gain access to information when a user opens the csv_export.php generated CSV file in Excel.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Packagist",
      "name" : "mantisbt/mantisbt"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.25.3"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2.25.2"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-43257"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mantisbt/mantisbt/commit/7f4534c723e3162b8784aebda4836324041dbc3e"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mantisbt/mantisbt/commit/99eb8d41cbacc703f88807898dcc9ac55eec0f15"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mantisbt/mantisbt"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.mantisbt.org/bugs/view.php?id=29130"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-1236" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-05-30T14:07:27Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-04-14T20:15:00Z"
  }
}