Cyber Resilience

CVE-2021-32682

RCE in Std42 Elfinder ≤ 2.1.59

Public PoCHigh EPSSRCESSRFCommand Injection
Published
14 June 2021
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 9.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.70 99.3th percentile
Risk Priority 97 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2021-32682 is a critical-severity Path Traversal (CWE-22) vulnerability in Std42 Elfinder. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).

Operationally, ranked in the top 0.7% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

elFinder is an open-source file manager for web, written in JavaScript using jQuery UI. Several vulnerabilities affect elFinder 2.1.58. These vulnerabilities can allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code and commands on the server hosting the elFinder PHP connector, even…

more

with minimal configuration. The issues were patched in version 2.1.59. As a workaround, ensure the connector is not exposed without authentication.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

Likely ATT&CK TechniquesAI

Techniques this vulnerability likely enables, inferred from its description, weakness type, and attributed-actor tradecraft. Confidence is per-technique.

T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Accessconfidence: HIGH
Path traversal (CWE-22) and OS command injection (CWE-78) in the exposed PHP connector directly enable remote code execution against a public-facing web application.
T1059.004 Unix Shell Executionconfidence: HIGH
CWE-78 OS command injection allows arbitrary Unix shell commands to be executed on the server.
T1105 Ingress Tool Transfer Command And Controlconfidence: MEDIUM
Arbitrary command execution can be used to download and execute additional tools or payloads on the compromised host.
inferred from description + CWE · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v19.0

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-35840Same product: Std42 Elfinder
CVE-2022-26960Same product: Std42 Elfinder
CVE-2025-63408Shared CWE-22, CWE-78
CVE-2023-46784Shared CWE-22, CWE-918
CVE-2024-47049Shared CWE-22, CWE-918
CVE-2023-44256Shared CWE-22, CWE-918
CVE-2025-61784Shared CWE-22, CWE-918
CVE-2026-27018Shared CWE-22, CWE-918
CVE-2026-41887Shared CWE-22, CWE-918
CVE-2025-59366Shared CWE-22, CWE-78

Affected Assets

std42
elfinder
≤ 2.1.59

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V5.3.2
  • V1.2.5
  • V1.2.8
  • V15.2.5

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-22 CWE-78 CWE-918

Validates pathnames and filenames to prevent traversal outside intended directories.

addresses: CWE-918

Penetration testing attempts server-side requests to internal resources, identifying SSRF weaknesses for remediation.

addresses: CWE-78

Platform-independent apps typically execute inside a managed runtime or sandbox that restricts direct OS command execution, reducing the ability to exploit OS command injection.

addresses: CWE-918

Outbound connections to external resources can be monitored and limited at the boundary, reducing SSRF impact.

addresses: CWE-918

Detects server-side request forgery through monitoring of unexpected outbound connections.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

PR.PS-06's SDLC practices directly require secure coding and input handling that blocks command-injection defects, yet the single broad outcome leaves many specific neutralization vectors and verification gaps unaddressed.

DE.CM-09 partial match
prevents

Runtime monitoring of web applications and services can detect anomalous outbound requests indicative of SSRF.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability identification processes can discover and record SSRF flaws in web applications.

PR.IR-01 partial match
prevents

Network segmentation and egress controls can limit the damage from successful SSRF requests.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Patching/maintenance can remediate known path-traversal flaws in deployed software (partial prevention of exploitability) but does nothing to stop the coding defect from being introduced in the first place.

PR.AA-05 none match
prevents

PR.AA-05 defines and reviews access policies but does not address code-level pathname neutralization, so neither direction prevents CWE-22.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

detects

Security testing in development catches path traversal via static/dynamic analysis.

prevents

Operational threat data describing SSRF campaigns can be used to tighten outbound-request allow-lists and detection rules before attackers exploit them.

prevents

Secure SDLC mandates input validation and path sanitization that directly prevent path traversal.

prevents

Application security requirements include rules for safe file handling and canonicalization.

prevents

Secure architecture principles require least-privilege file access and directory isolation.

prevents

Secure coding standards explicitly forbid unsafe path construction and mandate safe APIs.

References