CVE-2021-23336

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Last Modified: UTC

Moderate Moderate Impact What does this mean?
5.9 CVSS v3 Base Score

Description

The package python/cpython is vulnerable to Web Cache Poisoning via urllib.parse.parse_qsl and urllib.parse.parse_qs by using a vector called parameter cloaking. When the attacker can separate query parameters using a semicolon (;), they can cause a difference in the interpretation of the request between the proxy (running with default configuration) and the server. This can result in malicious requests being cached as completely safe ones, as the proxy would usually not see the semicolon as a separator, and therefore would not include it in a cache key of an unkeyed parameter.

Statement

The python2.7 component in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 is listed as not affected as it was removed prior to the release of RHEL-9.0.

The python3.9 component in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 is listed as not affected as a patched version was verified in RHEL-9.0 beta and the RHEL-9.0 GA release included this patched version.

The python36 component in the python36:3.6 module in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 is listed as not affected, as it does not contain Python interpreter or libraries. Packages of the python36 component only provide convenient links to the Python interpreter included in the non-modular python3 component's platform-python packages. Users of python36:3.6 module also need to check the entry for the python3 component to determine if their systems are affected.

Red Hat Ceph Storage (RHCS) 3 ships an older version of python-django without the directly affected function, but which is still vulnerable to a similar attack involving the semi colon separator. Hence, impact has been rated as Low.

Although Red Hat OpenStack Platform 13 & 16.1 both ship the affected code, since the proxy is controlled and configured by OpenStack, the impact has been lowered to Low. As a fix would require a substantial effort or commitment of time, no fix will be provided at this time.

Additional Information

External References

Content from www.cve.org is not included.https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-23336

Content from nvd.nist.gov is not included.https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-23336

Content from snyk.io is not included.https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-UPSTREAM-PYTHONCPYTHON-1074933

Affected Packages and Issued Red Hat Security Errata

Products / Services Components State Errata
Red Hat Ceph Storage 2 python-django Out of support scope
Red Hat Ceph Storage 3 python-django Fix deferred
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 python Out of support scope
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 python Out of support scope
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 python3 Out of support scope
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 python3 Fixed RHSA-2021:1633
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 python27:2.7 Fixed RHSA-2021:4151
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 python38-devel:3.8 Fixed RHSA-2021:4162
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 python38:3.8 Fixed RHSA-2021:4162
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 python36:3.6/python36 Not affected
Unless explicitly stated as not affected, all previous versions of packages in any minor update stream of a product listed here should be assumed vulnerable, although may not have been subject to full analysis.

Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details

Important note

CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authorities (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications ).

CVSS v3 Score Breakdown Red Hat NVD
CVSS v3 Base Score 5.9 5.9
Attack Vector Network Network
Attack Complexity High High
Privileges Required None None
User Interaction Required Required
Scope Unchanged Unchanged
Confidentiality Impact None None
Integrity Impact Low Low
Availability Impact High High

CVSS v3 Vector

Red Hat CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H

NVD CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Red Hat's CVSS v3 score or Impact different from other vendors?

 For open source software shipped by multiple vendors, the CVSS base scores may vary for each vendor's version depending on the version they ship, how they ship it, the platform, and even how the software is compiled. This makes scoring of vulnerabilities difficult for third-party vulnerability databases such as NVD that only provide a single CVSS base score for each vulnerability. Red Hat scores reflect how a vulnerability affects our products specifically.

For more information, see https://access.redhat.com/solutions/762393.

My product is listed as "Under investigation" or "Affected", when will Red Hat release a fix for this vulnerability?
  • "Under investigation" doesn't necessarily mean that the product is affected by this vulnerability. It only means that our Analysis Team is still working on determining whether the product is affected and how it is affected.
  • "Affected" means that our Analysis Team has determined that this product is affected by this vulnerability and might release a fix to address this in the near future.

What can I do if my product is listed as "Will not fix"?

 A "will not fix" status means that a fix for an affected product version is not planned or not possible due to complexity, which may create additional risk.

Available options depend mostly on the Impact of the vulnerability and the current Life Cycle phase of your product. Overall, you have the following options:
  • Upgrade to a supported product version that includes a fix for this vulnerability (recommended).
  • Apply a mitigation (if one exists).
  • Open a This content is not included.support case to request a prioritization of releasing a fix for this vulnerability.

What can I do if my product is listed as "Fix deferred"?

 A deferred status means that a fix for an affected product version is not guaranteed due to higher-priority development work.

Available options depend mostly on the Impact of the vulnerability and the current Life Cycle phase of your product. Overall, you have the following options:
  • Apply a mitigation (if one exists).
  • Open a This content is not included.support case to request a prioritization of releasing a fix for this vulnerability.
  • Red Hat Engineering focuses on addressing high-priority issues based on their complexity or limited lifecycle support. Therefore, lower-priority issues will not receive immediate fixes.

What is a mitigation?

 A mitigation is an action that can be taken to reduce the impact of a security vulnerability, without deploying any fixes.

I have a Red Hat product but it is not in the above list, is it affected?

 The listed products were found to include one or more of the components that this vulnerability affects. These products underwent a thorough evaluation to determine their affectedness by this vulnerability. Note that layered products (such as container-based offerings) that consume affected components from any of the products listed in this table may be affected and are not represented.

Why is my security scanner reporting my product as vulnerable to this vulnerability even though my product version is fixed or not affected?

 In order to maintain code stability and compatibility, Red Hat usually does not rebase packages to entirely new versions. Instead, we backport fixes and new features to an older version of the package we distribute. This can result in some security scanners that only consider the package version to report the package as vulnerable. To avoid this, we suggest that you use an approved vulnerability scanner from our This content is not included.Red Hat Vulnerability Scanner Certification program.

My product is listed as "Out of Support Scope". What does this mean?

 When a product is listed as "Out of Support Scope", it means a vulnerability with the impact level assigned to this CVE is no longer covered by its current support lifecycle phase. The product has been identified to contain the impacted component, but analysis to determine whether it is affected or not by this vulnerability was not performed. The product should be assumed to be affected. Customers are advised to apply any mitigation options documented on this page, consider removing or disabling the impacted component, or upgrade to a supported version of the product that has an update available.