CVE-2021-29472
8.8 · HIGHOverview
CVE-2021-29472 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting getcomposer composer. It was published on April 27, 2021 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8, rated HIGH. It can be exploited remotely over the network. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
Technical Description
Composer is a dependency manager for PHP. URLs for Mercurial repositories in the root composer.json and package source download URLs are not sanitized correctly. Specifically crafted URL values allow code to be executed in the HgDriver if hg/Mercurial is installed on the system. The impact to Composer users directly is limited as the composer.json file is typically under their own control and source download URLs can only be supplied by third party Composer repositories they explicitly trust to download and execute source code from, e.g. Composer plugins. The main impact is to services passing user input to Composer, including Packagist.org and Private Packagist. This allowed users to trigger remote code execution. The vulnerability has been patched on Packagist.org and Private Packagist within 12h of receiving the initial vulnerability report and based on a review of logs, to the best of our knowledge, was not abused by anyone. Other services/tools using VcsRepository/VcsDriver or der
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from getcomposer. Update composer to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| getcomposer | composer | >= 0, < 1.10.22 | Affected |
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2021-29472?
CVE-2021-29472 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting getcomposer composer. It was published on April 27, 2021 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH).
How severe is CVE-2021-29472?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8, rated HIGH. It can be exploited remotely over the network. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2021-29472?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from getcomposer. Update composer to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2021-29472?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2021-29472 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
How CyberStrike Helps
AI agents map your attack surface to find vulnerabilities like this one.
Automated penetration testing that runs continuously, not just quarterly.
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Browser-based exploitation validates findings with real proof-of-concept.
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