# CVE-2021-3049: Cortex XSOAR: Improper Authorization of Incident Investigations Vulnerability

> Authenticated attackers can download files from incident investigations they are not part of, exposing sensitive data.

- **Severity:** Low 2.6 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 8 Sep 2021
- **Updated:** 16 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-j74x-6rh4-f7q2

## What is CVE-2021-3049?

CVE-2021-3049 is a low-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSOAR, published on 8 Sep 2021. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

An improper authorization vulnerability in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSOAR server enables an authenticated network-based attacker with investigation read permissions to download files from incident investigations of which they are aware but are not a part of. This issue impacts: All Cortex XSOAR 5.5.0 builds; Cortex XSOAR 6.1.0 builds earlier than 12099345. This issue does not impact Cortex XSOAR 6.2.0 versions.

Weakness: CWE-285 (Improper Authorization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-3049?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Paloaltonetworks Cortex Xsoar.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-3049?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-3049 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-3049 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-3049 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSOAR

- [CVE-2021-3044](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-3044/): Cortex XSOAR: Unauthorized Usage of the REST API (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2021-3051](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-3051/): Cortex XSOAR: Authentication Bypass in SAML Authentication (high 8.1)
- [CVE-2022-0020](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0020/): Cortex XSOAR: Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Vulnerability in Web Interface (medium 6.8)
- [CVE-2022-0031](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0031/): Cortex XSOAR: Local Privilege Escalation (PE) Vulnerability in Cortex XSOAR Engine (medium 6.7)
- [CVE-2023-3282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-3282/): Cortex XSOAR: Local Privilege Escalation (PE) Vulnerability in Cortex XSOAR Engine (medium 6.4)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-3049 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-3049 is a low-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSOAR, published on 8 Sep 2021. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-3049 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSOAR. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-3049/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-3049/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-3049
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-3049
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-3049

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-3049/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.