CVE-2021-21471
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedIn CLA-Assistant, versions before 2.8.5, due to improper access control an authenticated user could access API endpoints which are not intended to be used by the user. This could impact the integrity of the application.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceCLA-Assistant versions before 2.8.5 contains improper access control that allows authenticated users to access API endpoints that should be restricted to other user roles or administrative users. This broken access control vulnerability could allow users to perform actions or view data outside their intended permissions, potentially impacting data integrity.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 2.8.5CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify CLA-Assistant installation and versionLocate the CLA-Assistant application installation directory and check the version metadata file (such as package.json, VERSION file, or application settings). If running as a service, check the deployed application version through the admin interface or startup logs.Affected if The installed version is lower than 2.8.5 (for example, 2.8.4, 2.8.0, or earlier releases).
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Verify API endpoint accessibilityUsing an authenticated non-administrator user account, attempt to access API endpoints that should be restricted to administrative roles (such as user management, configuration修改, or sensitive data retrieval endpoints). Use a tool like curl or Postman to send requests with the non-admin user credentials.Affected if The API endpoints return data or allow actions that should be restricted to administrators, indicating broken access control.
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Inspect API authorization configurationReview the application's source code or configuration files for the API routing layer. Check each endpoint's authorization logic to verify that role-based access control (RBAC) checks are properly enforced before allowing access to sensitive operations.Affected if API endpoints lack proper role verification checks, or allow authenticated users to bypass authorization restrictions.
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Review user role assignment logicExamine the application's authentication and authorization middleware to confirm that user roles are correctly assigned and enforced. Verify that the system properly distinguishes between regular users and administrative users when processing API requests.Affected if The system does not correctly enforce role-based restrictions, allowing lower-privileged users to access higher-privilege functions.
A user is affected if CLA-Assistant version is below 2.8.5 AND the application exposes API endpoints that lack proper role-based access control checks, allowing unauthorized role escalation.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor data2.8.5
Upgrade to CLA-Assistant version 2.8.5 or later. If immediate upgrade is not possible, review API endpoint authorization logic and implement role-based access control (RBAC) checks on all sensitive endpoints.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing5.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-21471 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-21471 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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