SupersetApplication · Apache
CVE-2021-41972
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 · uneditedApache Superset up to and including 1.3.1 allowed for database connections password leak for authenticated users. This information could be accessed in a non-trivial way.
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 confidenceApache Superset versions up to and including 1.3.1 contain a password leak vulnerability in the database connections feature. Authenticated users can access database connection passwords through a non-trivial access method, exposing sensitive credentials to unauthorized parties.
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
SupersetApplication
<= 1.3.1CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 installed Apache Superset versionAccess the Superset metadata database or check the package/version file (e.g., superset/VERSION.txt or pip show apache-superset). Alternatively, query the /api/v1/version endpoint or check the About section in the UI.Affected if Version is 1.3.1 or earlier (any version up to and including 1.3.1)
-
Verify database connections feature is accessibleConfirm that authenticated users (non-admin) have access to the Database Connections UI page at /superset/databaseview/ or the corresponding API endpoint.Affected if Non-admin users can navigate to or query database connection settings
-
Check for password exposure through API or exportsInspect API responses when non-admin users access /api/v1/database/ or related endpoints. Look for returned password fields in connection objects that should be masked.Affected if API responses expose password fields in plain text for database connections to unauthorized users
-
Check for password exposure in logs or exportsReview any CSV/JSON exports of database connection data or application logs for plaintext passwords related to database connection configurations.Affected if Exported connection data or logs contain plaintext database passwords
If Apache Superset version is 1.3.1 or earlier and non-admin users can access database connections, the password leak vulnerability is present in the 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.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade Apache Superset to version 1.3.2 or later to patch this vulnerability. Until upgrade is complete, restrict user access to the database connections feature.
Upgrade to Superset 1.3.2 or later (1.4.x recommended)
- 1. Back up your current Superset installation and database
- 2. Review the Superset upgrade documentation for your deployment method (pip, Docker, helm, etc.)
- 3. For pip-based installations: Run 'pip install apache-superset==1.3.2' or later (recommended: pip install apache-superset==1.4.0 or latest stable)
- 4. For Docker-based installations: Update your image tag to '1.3.2' or later in your docker-compose.yml or container configuration
- 5. Run database migrations if required: 'superset db upgrade'
- 6. Restart all Superset services
- 7. Verify the upgrade by logging in and confirming database connections still function correctly
- 8. As an authenticated administrator, verify that passwords are no longer exposed in the database connection UI or API responses
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Superset
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 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 $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-41972 — 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-2021-41972 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