# CVE-2021-42082: Local Privilege Escalation to root in OSNEXUS QuantaStor before 6.0.0.355

> Local attackers can execute arbitrary commands as root via command injection in the upgrade script, leading to full system compromise.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:** 10 Jul 2023
- **Updated:** 22 Sep 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-3x7w-vvg2-w6r8

## What is CVE-2021-42082?

CVE-2021-42082 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in OSNEXUS QuantaStor, published on 10 Jul 2023. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Local users are able to execute scripts under root privileges.

POC

On the local host run the following command:

curl 'localhost:8154/qstor/qs_upgrade.py?taskId=1&a=;`whoami`'

Weakness: CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-42082?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Osnexus Quantastor.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-42082?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-42082 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-42082 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-42082 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in OSNEXUS QuantaStor

- [CVE-2021-42081](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-42081/): Authenticated Remote Command Execution vulnerability in OSNEXUS QuantaStor before 6.0.0.355 (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2021-4406](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-4406/): Authenticated Remote COmmand Execution as root in OSNEXUS QuantaStor version 6.0.0.355 and others (critical 9.1)
- [CVE-2021-42083](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-42083/): Authenticated Stored XSS in OSNEXUS QuantaStor 6.0.0.335 (high 8.7)
- [CVE-2021-42080](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-42080/): Reflected XSS vulnerability in OSNEXUS QuantaStor before 6.0.0.355 (high 7.4)
- [CVE-2021-42079](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-42079/): SSRF vulnerability in OSNEXUS QuantaStor before 6.0.0.355 (medium 6.2)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-42082 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-42082 is a high-severity command injection vulnerability in OSNEXUS QuantaStor, published on 10 Jul 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-2021-42082 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: OSNEXUS QuantaStor. 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-2021-42082/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-42082/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-42082
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-42082
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-42082

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-42082/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.