CVE-2021-21234

CVE-2021-21234 is a high-severity vulnerability in Spring-boot-actuator-logview Project Spring-boot-actuator-logview with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.7. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 21% places it in the 97th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-22.

Key facts

Description

spring-boot-actuator-logview in a library that adds a simple logfile viewer as spring boot actuator endpoint. It is maven package "eu.hinsch:spring-boot-actuator-logview". In spring-boot-actuator-logview before version 0.2.13 there is a directory traversal vulnerability. The nature of this library is to expose a log file directory via admin (spring boot actuator) HTTP endpoints. Both the filename to view and a base folder (relative to the logging folder root) can be specified via request parameters. While the filename parameter was checked to prevent directory traversal exploits (so that `filename=../somefile` would not work), the base folder parameter was not sufficiently checked, so that `filename=somefile&base=../` could access a file outside the logging base directory). The vulnerability has been patched in release 0.2.13. Any users of 0.2.12 should be able to update without any issues as there are no other changes in that release. There is no workaround to fix the vulnerability other than updating or removing the dependency. However, removing read access of the user the application is run with to any directory not required for running the application can limit the impact. Additionally, access to the logview endpoint can be limited by deploying the application behind a reverse proxy.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-21234?
spring-boot-actuator-logview in a library that adds a simple logfile viewer as spring boot actuator endpoint. It is maven package "eu.hinsch:spring-boot-actuator-logview". In spring-boot-actuator-logview before version 0.2.13 there is a directory traversal vulnerability. The nature of this library is to expose a log file directory via admin (spring boot actuator) HTTP endpoints. Both the filename to view and a base folder (relative to the logging folder root) can be specified via request parameters. While the filename parameter was checked to prevent directory traversal exploits (so that `filename=../somefile` would not work), the base folder parameter was not sufficiently checked, so that `filename=somefile&base=../` could access a file outside the logging base directory). The vulnerability has been patched in release 0.2.13. Any users of 0.2.12 should be able to update without any issues as there are no other changes in that release. There is no workaround to fix the vulnerability other than updating or removing the dependency. However, removing read access of the user the application is run with to any directory not required for running the application can limit the impact. Additionally, access to the logview endpoint can be limited by deploying the application behind a reverse proxy.
How severe is CVE-2021-21234?
CVE-2021-21234 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.7, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity none, and availability none.
Is CVE-2021-21234 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 21% (97th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-21234?
CVE-2021-21234 affects Spring-boot-actuator-logview Project Spring-boot-actuator-logview. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-21234?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2021-21234 published?
CVE-2021-21234 was published on 2021-01-05 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

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