# CVE-2021-4247: OWASP NodeGoat Query Parameter research.js denial of service

> Remote attackers can cause a denial of service in OWASP NodeGoat via the query parameter handler in research.js.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 18 Dec 2022
- **Updated:** 15 Apr 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-45xc-w9gq-g735

## What is CVE-2021-4247?

CVE-2021-4247 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in OWASP NodeGoat, published on 18 Dec 2022. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A vulnerability has been found in OWASP NodeGoat and classified as problematic. This vulnerability affects unknown code of the file app/routes/research.js of the component Query Parameter Handler. The manipulation leads to denial of service. The attack can be initiated remotely. The name of the patch is 4a4d1db74c63fb4ff8d366551c3af006c25ead12. It is recommended to apply a patch to fix this issue. The identifier of this vulnerability is VDB-216184.

Weakness: CWE-404 (Improper Resource Shutdown or Release)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-4247?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Owasp Nodegoat.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-4247?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-4247 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-4247 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2021-4247 exists.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-4247 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-4247 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in OWASP NodeGoat, published on 18 Dec 2022. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2021-4247 exists.

Affected product: OWASP NodeGoat. 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-2021-4247/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-4247/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-4247
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-4247
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-4247

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-4247/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.