# CVE-2021-3457: Missing authorization in smart proxy shellhooks

> Authenticated attackers can bypass authorization in the Foreman Shellhooks plugin to delete resources and cause denial of service.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 12 May 2021
- **Updated:** 3 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-wc66-56fw-mmp9

## What is CVE-2021-3457?

CVE-2021-3457 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in smart_proxy_shellhooks, published on 12 May 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

An improper authorization handling flaw was found in Foreman. The Shellhooks plugin for the smart-proxy allows Foreman clients to execute actions that should be limited to the Foreman Server. This flaw allows an authenticated local attacker to access and delete limited resources and also causes a denial of service on the Foreman server. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to integrity and system availability.

Weakness: CWE-863 (Incorrect Authorization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-3457?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Theforeman Smart Proxy Shell Hooks.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-3457?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-3457 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-3457 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-3457 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-3457 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-3457 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in smart_proxy_shellhooks, published on 12 May 2021. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-3457 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: smart_proxy_shellhooks. 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-2021-3457/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-3457/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-3457
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-3457
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-3457

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-3457/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.