# CVE-2021-33484: Hardcoded credentials in n/a

> Hardcoded encryption IV allows attackers to decrypt keys and spoof user identities in Comments Pro, enabling unauthorized comment posting as other users.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 7 Sep 2021
- **Updated:** 3 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-76j4-qr57-p9fg

## What is CVE-2021-33484?

CVE-2021-33484 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 7 Sep 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An issue was discovered in CommentsService.ashx in OnyakTech Comments Pro 3.8. An attacker can download a copy of the installer, decompile it, and discover a hardcoded IV used to encrypt the username and userid in the comment POST request. Additionally, the attacker can decrypt the encrypted encryption key (sent as a parameter in the comment form request) by setting this encrypted value as the username, which will appear on the comment page in its decrypted form. Using these two values (combined with the encryption functionality discovered in the decompiled installer), the attacker can encrypt another user's ID and username. These values can be used as part of the comment posting request in order to spoof the user.

Weakness: CWE-798 (Use of Hard-coded Credentials)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-33484?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Onyaktech Comments Pro Project Onyaktech Comments Pro.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-33484?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-33484 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-33484 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-33484 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2021-33483](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-33483/): Cross-site scripting in n/a (medium 5.4)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-33484 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-33484 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 7 Sep 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-33484 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. 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-2021-33484/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-33484/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-33484
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-33484
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-33484

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-33484/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.