CVE-2021-41277
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 · uneditedMetabase is an open source data analytics platform. In affected versions a security issue has been discovered with the custom GeoJSON map (`admin->settings->maps->custom maps->add a map`) support and potential local file inclusion (including environment variables). URLs were not validated prior to being loaded. This issue is fixed in a new maintenance release (0.40.5 and 1.40.5), and any subsequent release after that. If you’re unable to upgrade immediately, you can mitigate this by including rules in your reverse proxy or load balancer or WAF to provide a validation filter before 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 confidenceMetabase versions prior to 0.40.5/1.40.5 contain a local file inclusion vulnerability in the custom GeoJSON map feature. The application does not validate URLs before loading them, allowing attackers to access local files including environment variables containing sensitive credentials or API keys.
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= 0.40.0= 0.40.1= 0.40.2= 0.40.3= 0.40.4= 1.40.0= 1.40.1= 1.40.2= 1.40.3= 1.40.4CVSS 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
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/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.
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Identify Metabase versionCheck the installed Metabase version through the admin panel (Settings > Admin > About) or by inspecting the application startup logsAffected if The version is 0.40.0 through 0.40.4, or 1.40.0 through 1.40.4 (specifically any version equal to those listed in the affected ranges)
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Locate custom GeoJSON map settingsNavigate to Admin settings > Maps > Custom Maps in the Metabase administration interface, or inspect the database table where map configurations are storedAffected if Custom GeoJSON map entries exist in the admin map configuration
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Check for URL validation in map configurationReview the custom GeoJSON map settings to see if the map URL field accepts external URLs, particularly looking for whether file:// or other non-http(s):// protocols can be specifiedAffected if The map configuration allows specifying file:// URLs or other local file paths as the map source
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Inspect environment for sensitive file exposureExamine whether the Metabase process has access to read environment variables or sensitive configuration files that could be referenced via file:// pathsAffected if The Metabase application runs with permissions that could allow reading sensitive system files or environment variable files
You are affected if your Metabase version matches 0.40.0-0.40.4 or 1.40.0-1.40.4 AND custom GeoJSON maps are configured with unvalidated URL fields that could accept file:// references.
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 · scopedUpgrade Metabase to version 0.40.5 or 1.40.5 or later. If immediate upgrade is not possible, implement URL validation rules in a reverse proxy, load balancer, or WAF to filter malicious file:// or other local URI schemes before requests reach the application.
Metabase 0.40.5 or 1.40.5 (or later)
- 1. Back up your Metabase application database and any custom configurations
- 2. Download Metabase version 0.40.5 or 1.40.5 (or any subsequent release after these versions) from the official Metabase releases page
- 3. Stop the running Metabase service
- 4. Replace the existing Metabase installation with the new version, preserving your data directory
- 5. Start the Metabase service with the upgraded version
- 6. Verify the upgrade was successful by logging in and checking the admin settings
- 7. If unable to upgrade immediately, configure a reverse proxy, load balancer, or WAF to validate and filter GeoJSON URLs before they reach the application
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-41277 — 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-2021-41277 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data