# CVE-2021-41033: Supply chain in Eclipse Equinox

> Attackers can install malicious plugins via man-in-the-middle attacks on HTTP p2 repositories, compromising the Eclipse installation.

- **Severity:** High 8.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 13 Sep 2021
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-c5fh-3q27-g4r5

## What is CVE-2021-41033?

CVE-2021-41033 is a high-severity vulnerability in The Eclipse Foundation Eclipse Equinox, published on 13 Sep 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In all released versions of Eclipse Equinox, at least until version 4.21 (September 2021), installation can be vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attack if using p2 repos that are HTTP; that can then be exploited to serve incorrect p2 metadata and entirely alter the local installation, particularly by installing plug-ins that may then run malicious code.

Weakness: CWE-300 (Channel Accessible by Non-Endpoint)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-41033?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Eclipse Equinox.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-41033?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-41033 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-41033 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-41033 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-41033 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-41033 is a high-severity vulnerability in The Eclipse Foundation Eclipse Equinox, published on 13 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-2021-41033 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: The Eclipse Foundation Eclipse Equinox. 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-2021-41033/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-41033/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-41033
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-41033
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-41033

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-41033/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.