CVE-2021-45042
CVE-2021-45042 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Hashicorp Vault with a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.9. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low.
Key facts
- Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 4.9)
- CVSS v2: 6.8
- EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (69th percentile)
- Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
- Affected product: Hashicorp Vault
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
In HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise before 1.7.7, 1.8.x before 1.8.6, and 1.9.x before 1.9.1, clusters using the Integrated Storage backend allowed an authenticated user (with write permissions to a kv secrets engine) to cause a panic and denial of service of the storage backend. The earliest affected version is 1.4.0.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2021-45042?
- In HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise before 1.7.7, 1.8.x before 1.8.6, and 1.9.x before 1.9.1, clusters using the Integrated Storage backend allowed an authenticated user (with write permissions to a kv secrets engine) to cause a panic and denial of service of the storage backend. The earliest affected version is 1.4.0.
- How severe is CVE-2021-45042?
- CVE-2021-45042 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.9, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
- Is CVE-2021-45042 being actively exploited?
- It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (69th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- What products are affected by CVE-2021-45042?
- CVE-2021-45042 primarily affects Hashicorp Vault. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2021-45042?
- Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
- When was CVE-2021-45042 published?
- CVE-2021-45042 was published on 2021-12-17 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
- https://discuss.hashicorp.com/t/hcsec2-21-33-vault-s-kv-secrets-engine-with-integrated-storage-exposed-to-authenticated-denial-of-service/33157
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202207-01
- https://www.hashicorp.com/blog/category/vault
Affected products (4)
- cpe:2.3:a:hashicorp:vault:*:*:*:*:-:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:hashicorp:vault:*:*:*:*:enterprise:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:hashicorp:vault:1.9.0:*:*:*:-:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:hashicorp:vault:1.9.0:*:*:*:enterprise:*:*:*
More vulnerabilities in Hashicorp Vault
- CVE-2020-35192 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The official vault docker images before 0.11.6 contain a blank password for a root user. System using the vault docker…
- CVE-2020-12757 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise 1.4.0 and 1.4.1, when configured with the GCP Secrets Engine, may incorrectly…
- CVE-2025-6000 — Critical (CVSS 9.1): A privileged Vault operator within the root namespace with write permission to {{sys/audit}} may obtain code execution…
- CVE-2022-40186 — Critical (CVSS 9.1): An issue was discovered in HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise before 1.11.3. A vulnerability in the Identity Engine…
- CVE-2022-36129 — Critical (CVSS 9.1): HashiCorp Vault Enterprise 1.7.0 through 1.9.7, 1.10.4, and 1.11.0 clusters using Integrated Storage expose an…
- CVE-2020-10661 — Critical (CVSS 9.1): HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise versions 0.11.0 through 1.3.3 may, under certain circumstances, have existing…