# CVE-2021-45079: Auth bypass in n/a > A malicious responder can bypass authentication by sending an early EAP-Success message in specific strongSwan configurations. - **Severity:** Critical 9.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H`) - **Exploited in the wild:** Not known - **Login needed:** Not needed - **Attackable:** Over the internet - **Victim action needed:** Not needed - **Fix available:** Yes - **Published:** 31 Jan 2022 - **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024 - **Also known as:** ALPINE-CVE-2021-45079, AZL-8473, DEBIAN-CVE-2021-45079, DLA-2909-1, DSA-5056-1, GHSA-8x8f-8g3r-h75g, OESA-2022-1525, OESA-2022-2068, SUSE-SU-2022:0202-1, SUSE-SU-2022:0211-1, SUSE-SU-2022:0492-1, UBUNTU-CVE-2021-45079, USN-5250-1, USN-5250-2, openSUSE-SU-2022:0492-1, openSUSE-SU-2024:11808-1 ## What is CVE-2021-45079? CVE-2021-45079 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 31 Jan 2022. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim. ### Official description In strongSwan before 5.9.5, a malicious responder can send an EAP-Success message too early without actually authenticating the client and (in the case of EAP methods with mutual authentication and EAP-only authentication for IKEv2) even without server authentication. Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference) ## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-45079? It affects 5 products. | Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Enterprise Storage 6 | All versions | 5.8.2-4.17.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Enterprise Storage 7 | All versions | 5.8.2-11.24.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:HPE Helion OpenStack 8 | All versions | 5.1.3-26.20.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1-ESPOS | All versions | 5.8.2-4.17.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP1-LTSS | All versions | 5.8.2-4.17.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2-ESPOS | All versions | 5.8.2-11.24.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15 SP2-LTSS | All versions | 5.8.2-11.24.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15-ESPOS | All versions | 5.8.2-4.17.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15-LTSS | All versions | 5.8.2-4.17.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP3 | All versions | 5.8.2-11.24.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP3 | All versions | 5.8.2-11.24.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Real Time 15 SP2 | All versions | 5.8.2-11.24.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP2-BCL | All versions | 5.1.3-26.20.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP3-BCL | All versions | 5.1.3-26.20.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP3-LTSS | All versions | 5.1.3-26.20.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP4-LTSS | All versions | 5.1.3-26.20.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5 | All versions | 5.1.3-26.20.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-BCL | All versions | 5.8.2-4.17.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1-LTSS | All versions | 5.8.2-4.17.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-BCL | All versions | 5.8.2-11.24.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP2-LTSS | All versions | 5.8.2-11.24.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 15-LTSS | All versions | 5.8.2-4.17.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP3 | All versions | 5.1.3-26.20.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP4 | All versions | 5.1.3-26.20.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP5 | All versions | 5.1.3-26.20.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 | All versions | 5.8.2-4.17.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP1 | All versions | 5.8.2-4.17.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 15 SP2 | All versions | 5.8.2-11.24.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP3 | All versions | 5.8.2-11.24.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Manager Proxy 4.1 | All versions | 5.8.2-11.24.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Manager Retail Branch Server 4.1 | All versions | 5.8.2-11.24.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:Manager Server 4.1 | All versions | 5.8.2-11.24.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:OpenStack Cloud 8 | All versions | 5.1.3-26.20.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:OpenStack Cloud 9 | All versions | 5.1.3-26.20.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:OpenStack Cloud Crowbar 8 | All versions | 5.1.3-26.20.1 | | `strongswan` | SUSE:OpenStack Cloud Crowbar 9 | All versions | 5.1.3-26.20.1 | | `strongswan` | openSUSE:Leap 15.3 | All versions | 5.8.2-11.24.1 | | `strongswan` | openSUSE:Tumbleweed | All versions | 5.9.5-1.1 | Products: Canonical Ubuntu Linux, Debian Debian Linux, Fedoraproject Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux, Fedoraproject Fedora, Strongswan Strongswan. ## How do I fix CVE-2021-45079? Upgrade to a fixed version. ## Is CVE-2021-45079 being exploited? There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-45079 in the wild and no public exploit code. ## Other vulnerabilities in Canonical Ubuntu Linux - [CVE-2020-11651](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-11651/): SaltStack Salt Authentication Bypass (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2020-7247](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7247/): OpenSMTPD Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2019-16928](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-16928/): Exim Out-of-bounds Write (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2018-6789](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-6789/): Exim Buffer Overflow (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2015-2590](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-2590/): Oracle Java SE and Java SE Embedded Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild) ## Fix prompt for AI coding agents ```text Check this codebase for CVE-2021-45079 and fix it if it is affected. What it is: CVE-2021-45079 is a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 31 Jan 2022. 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-2021-45079 in the wild and no public exploit code. Affected product: Canonical Ubuntu 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-2021-45079/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-45079/index.md) ``` ## Sources - CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-45079 - NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-45079 - OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-45079 --- From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-45079/ Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.