TerraformApplication · Hashicorp
CVE-2021-36230
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 · uneditedHashiCorp Terraform Enterprise releases up to v202106-1 did not properly perform authorization checks on a subset of API requests executed using the run token, allowing privilege escalation to organization owner. Fixed in v202107-1.
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 confidenceHashiCorp Terraform Enterprise up to v202106-1 had a broken access control vulnerability where authorization checks were not properly enforced on a subset of API requests executed using the run token. This allowed users with run-level privileges to perform actions that should require organization owner permissions, resulting in privilege escalation.
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
TerraformApplication
< 202107-1CVSS 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
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 Terraform Enterprise versionCheck the installed Terraform Enterprise version through the admin console or by querying the instance health/status API endpoint. The version is typically displayed in the Admin UI under 'Version' or can be retrieved via the /_version endpoint if available.Affected if The installed version is v202106-1 or earlier (any version below v202107-1)
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Confirm run token usageReview Terraform Enterprise configuration and audit whether run tokens are actively being used. Check if any run workflows, CI/CD pipelines, or automated processes are configured to authenticate using run tokens.Affected if Run tokens are configured and in use within the environment
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Review API audit logs for run token privilege escalationExamine the API audit logs for requests made using run tokens that performed organization-level actions such as creating workspaces with admin settings, modifying organization settings, or accessing organization owner-only endpoints. Look for API calls that should require organization owner permissions but were executed with run-level tokens.Affected if API audit logs show requests using run tokens performing actions that require organization owner permissions, or requests to organization owner-only API endpoints from run tokens
You are affected if your Terraform Enterprise version is v202106-1 or earlier AND run tokens are in use, as the authorization bypass allows run-level tokens to perform organization owner actions.
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.
dbcve · scoped202107-1
Upgrade Terraform Enterprise to v202107-1 or later to apply the authorization fix. Prior to upgrade, review API audit logs for suspicious activity using run tokens.
Terraform Enterprise v202107-1 or later
- Upgrade Terraform Enterprise from any version up to v202106-1 to v202107-1 or later
- After upgrade, verify that run tokens no longer have unauthorized access to organization owner privileges
- Confirm the authorization checks on API requests using run tokens are now properly enforced
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Terraform
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $4,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-36230 — 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-2021-36230 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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