CVE-2021-21316 Arbitrary code execution in less-openui5

Medium 6.3 Published Updated

Attackers can execute arbitrary code during the build process by providing malicious Less files to the less-openui5 library.

Exploited in the wild
Not known
Login needed
Not needed
Attackable
Local or same network only
Victim action needed
A user has to click or open something
Fix
Available

What is CVE-2021-21316?

CVE-2021-21316 is a medium-severity code injection vulnerability in SAP less-openui5, published on 16 Feb 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

Official description

less-openui5 is an npm package which enables building OpenUI5 themes with Less.js. In less-openui5 before version 0.10., when processing theming resources (i.e. `*.less` files) with less-openui5 that originate from an untrusted source, those resources might contain JavaScript code which will be executed in the context of the build process. While this is a feature of the Less.js library it is an unexpected behavior in the context of OpenUI5 and SAPUI5 development. Especially in the context of UI5 Tooling which relies on less-openui5. An attacker might create a library or theme-library containing a custom control or theme, hiding malicious JavaScript code in one of the .less files. Refer to the referenced GHSA-3crj-w4f5-gwh4 for examples. Starting with Less.js version 3.0.0, the Inline JavaScript feature is disabled by default. less-openui5 however currently uses a fork of Less.js v1.6.3. Note that disabling the Inline JavaScript feature in Less.js versions 1.x, still evaluates code has additional double codes around it. We decided to remove the inline JavaScript evaluation feature completely from the code of our Less.js fork. This fix is available in less-openui5 version 0.10.0.

Weakness: CWE-74

Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-21316?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including less-openui5. It affects 1 product.

PackageAffectedFixed in
less-openui5 npmAll versions0.10.0
less-openui5 npmAll versions0.10.0

Products include Less-Openui5 Project Less-Openui5.

How do I fix CVE-2021-21316?

Upgrade less-openui5 to 0.10.0 or later.

Upgrade, and never evaluate templates, expressions or code built from user input. More about Code injection.

Is CVE-2021-21316 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-21316 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

Also known as GHSA-3crj-w4f5-gwh4.

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