KylinApplication · Apache
CVE-2021-45458
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 Kylin provides encryption classes PasswordPlaceholderConfigurer to help users encrypt their passwords. In the encryption algorithm used by this encryption class, the cipher is initialized with a hardcoded key and IV. If users use class PasswordPlaceholderConfigurer to encrypt their password and configure it into kylin's configuration file, there is a risk that the password may be decrypted. This issue affects Apache Kylin 2 version 2.6.6 and prior versions; Apache Kylin 3 version 3.1.2 and prior versions; Apache Kylin 4 version 4.0.0 and prior versions.
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 Kylin's PasswordPlaceholderConfigurer uses a hardcoded encryption key and IV to encrypt passwords. If users leverage this class to encrypt passwords stored in Kylin's configuration files, the ciphertext can be decrypted by anyone who knows the hardcoded key, exposing sensitive credentials.
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
KylinApplication
>= 2.0.0, <= 2.6.6>= 3.0.0, < 3.1.3= 4.0.0CVSS 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
- 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 the installed Apache Kylin versionCheck the version file or the Kylin web UI (about page) to determine the exact version numberAffected if The installed version is >= 2.0.0 and <= 2.6.6, OR >= 3.0.0 and < 3.1.3, OR exactly 4.0.0
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Search for PasswordPlaceholderConfigurer usage in codebaseSearch for references to 'PasswordPlaceholderConfigurer' in the Kylin installation directory, particularly in Java source files and configuration-related classesAffected if This class is found and used in the codebase
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Inspect configuration files for encrypted password patternsExamine kylin.properties, kylin-default.properties, and other XML/properties configuration files in the conf/ or config/ directory for encrypted password values (typically appearing as long alphanumeric strings in password or credential fields)Affected if Encrypted password values are present in configuration files using the hardcoded key mechanism
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Verify the hardcoded key exists in the binary or sourceSearch the compiled classes or JAR files for the hardcoded encryption key 'KYLIN_SECURITY_KEY' or the string 'AES' combined with static key/IV patterns commonly used in PasswordPlaceholderConfigurerAffected if The hardcoded AES key and IV strings are found embedded in the application binaries or source code
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Check for password placeholders in propertiesLook for patterns like '${password}', '${jdbc.password}', '${kylin.security.password}' or similar variable placeholders in configuration files that reference the PasswordPlaceholderConfigurer encryption mechanismAffected if Password placeholders using the vulnerable PasswordPlaceholderConfigurer are present in the configuration
A user is affected if they run a vulnerable Apache Kylin version AND have configuration files containing passwords encrypted with PasswordPlaceholderConfigurer using the hardcoded key.
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 · scoped3.1.3
Avoid using PasswordPlaceholderConfigurer for password encryption; migrate to a secrets management solution or external key vault. If immediate mitigation is needed, rotate any passwords previously encrypted with this class and treat the hardcoded key as compromised.
Apache Kylin 2.6.7 / 3.1.3 / 4.0.1 (depending on major version branch)
- 1. Identify the current Apache Kylin version in use by checking the kylin version or release notes
- 2. For Kylin 2.x users: Upgrade to Apache Kylin 2.6.7 or later
- 3. For Kylin 3.x users: Upgrade to Apache Kylin 3.1.3 or later
- 4. For Kylin 4.x users: Upgrade to Apache Kylin 4.0.1 or later
- 5. After upgrade, regenerate any passwords that were previously encrypted using the vulnerable PasswordPlaceholderConfigurer class
- 6. Review and rotate any credentials that may have been stored using the hardcoded key encryption
- 7. Verify the fix by confirming the new version no longer uses hardcoded keys in the encryption implementation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Kylin
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $5,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-45458 — 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-2021-45458 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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