CVE-2021-31879
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 · uneditedGNU Wget through 1.21.1 does not omit the Authorization header upon a redirect to a different origin, a related issue to CVE-2018-1000007.
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 confidenceGNU Wget through 1.21.1 incorrectly retains the HTTP Authorization header when following redirects to a different origin. When a server redirects a request to a different domain/host, Wget transmits the original authentication credentials to the new (potentially untrusted) origin, enabling credential theft via malicious redirect targets.
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<= 1.21.1all versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsCVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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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Determine Wget version on Linux or Unix systemsRun `wget --version` and look at the first line which shows the version number (for example: GNU Wget 1.21.1)Affected if The version number displayed is 1.21.1 or lower
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Check NetApp Cloud Backup for bundled WgetOn the NetApp Cloud Backup system, check for Wget installation by running `wget --version` or locate the wget binary in common paths like /usr/bin/wgetAffected if Wget is present and the version is 1.21.1 or lower, or if the product bundles Wget (the vendor states all versions are affected)
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Check NetApp Ontap Select Deploy Administration UtilityOn the system running Ontap Select Deploy Administration Utility, locate and check the Wget version by running `wget --version` or examining the bundled binariesAffected if Wget is present with version 1.21.1 or lower, or the product bundles Wget (the vendor states all versions are affected)
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Check NetApp A250 and 500f FirmwareOn the NetApp A250 or 500f storage system, access the command line interface and check for Wget by running `wget --version`Affected if Wget is present and the version is 1.21.1 or lower, or if Wget is bundled in the firmware (the vendor states all versions are affected)
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Check Broadcom Brocade Fabric OS for WgetOn the Brocade Fabric OS switch, access the CLI and run `wget --version` or check for wget in the firmwareAffected if Wget is present and the version is 1.21.1 or lower, or if the firmware bundles Wget (the vendor states all versions are affected)
You are affected if you run any GNU Wget version 1.21.1 or lower, or if you use any of the listed NetApp or Broadcom products that bundle Wget (which the vendors indicate are all affected versions).
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 dataUpgrade to Wget version 1.21.2 or later which properly strips Authorization headers on cross-origin redirects; alternatively, avoid using Wget with sites that perform redirects to third-party domains.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-31879 — 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-2021-31879 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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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data