CVE-2021-3494
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 · uneditedA smart proxy that provides a restful API to various sub-systems of the Foreman is affected by the flaw which can cause a Man-in-the-Middle attack. The FreeIPA module of Foreman smart proxy does not check the SSL certificate, thus, an unauthenticated attacker can perform actions in FreeIPA if certain conditions are met. The highest threat from this flaw is to system confidentiality. This flaw affects Foreman versions before 2.5.0.
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 confidenceThe FreeIPA module in Foreman smart proxy fails to validate SSL certificates when communicating with FreeIPA servers. This allows a Man-in-the-Middle attacker to intercept and potentially manipulate the communication between the smart proxy and FreeIPA, enabling an unauthenticated attacker to perform actions in FreeIPA under certain conditions.
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< 2.5.0CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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.
-
Check Foreman versionDetermine the installed version of Foreman (e.g., from package manager, about page, or version file). Compare it against the affected range: versions prior to 2.5.0 are affected.Affected if Foreman version is below 2.5.0
-
Verify FreeIPA integration is in useInspect the smart proxy configuration to determine if the FreeIPA module is enabled or configured. Look for FreeIPA-related settings, files, or modules in the smart proxy setup.Affected if FreeIPA module is enabled or configured in the smart proxy
-
Inspect SSL certificate settings for FreeIPAExamine the configuration files or settings that govern SSL/TLS communication between the smart proxy and FreeIPA servers. Look for parameters controlling certificate verification or validation.Affected if SSL certificate validation is disabled, missing, or not enforced for FreeIPA connections
You are affected if you are running Foreman version below 2.5.0 and the FreeIPA module is configured in your smart proxy environment.
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 data2.5.0
Upgrade Foreman to version 2.5.0 or later which includes SSL certificate validation. Until then, isolate smart proxy and FreeIPA communications on trusted networks to reduce MitM attack vectors.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing5.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,752.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-3494 — 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-2021-3494 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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