# CVE-2021-3784: Garuda Linux Improper Authorization

> An attacker can impersonate newly created users in Garuda Linux by exploiting a race condition where accounts lack passwords briefly during creation.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L`)
- **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:** 4 Oct 2023
- **Updated:** 17 Jun 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-jjmh-cxjf-3v7g

## What is CVE-2021-3784?

CVE-2021-3784 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Garuda Linux, published on 4 Oct 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Garuda Linux performs an insecure user creation and authentication that allows any user to impersonate the created account. By creating users from the 'Garuda settings manager', an insecure procedure is performed that keeps the created user without an assigned password during some seconds. This could allow a potential attacker to exploit this vulnerability in order to authenticate without knowing the password.

Weakness: CWE-287 (Improper Authentication)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-3784?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Garudalinux Garuda Linux.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-3784?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-3784 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-3784 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-3784 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-3784 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-3784 is a medium-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Garuda Linux, published on 4 Oct 2023. 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-2021-3784 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Garuda Linux. 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-2021-3784/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-3784/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-3784
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-3784
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-3784

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-3784/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.