CVE-2021-27670
Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) in Appspace 6
Executive Summary
CVE-2021-27670 is a critical severity vulnerability affecting api-security. It is classified as Server-Side Request Forgery. Ensure your systems and dependencies are patched immediately to mitigate exposure risks.
Precogs AI Insight
"Appspace contains an insecure direct object reference (IDOR) or authentication bypass vulnerability. Attackers manipulate request parameters to access data or administrative functions belonging to other users. Precogs API Security Engine comprehensively audits resource-level authorization logic."
What is this vulnerability?
CVE-2021-27670 is categorized as a critical Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) flaw with a CVSS base score of 9.8. Based on our vulnerability intelligence, this issue occurs when the application fails to securely handle untrusted data boundaries.
Appspace 6.2.4 allows SSRF via the api/v1/core/proxy/jsonprequest url parameter.
This architectural defect enables adversaries to bypass intended security controls, directly manipulating the application's execution state or data layer. Immediate strategic intervention is required.
Risk Assessment
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| CVSS Base Score | 9.8 (CRITICAL) |
| Vector String | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| Published | February 25, 2021 |
| Last Modified | November 21, 2024 |
| Related CWEs | CWE-918 |
Impact on Systems
✅ Unauthorized Data Access: Attackers can bypass authorization controls to access other users' data or administrative endpoints.
✅ Account Takeover: Broken authentication or authorization may enable full account compromise without valid credentials.
✅ API Abuse: Exploiting this vulnerability enables mass data harvesting or destructive operations through unprotected API endpoints.
How to Fix and Mitigate CVE-2021-27670
- Apply Vendor Patches: Upgrade affected components to their latest, non-vulnerable versions immediately.
- Implement Input Validation: Ensure all user-supplied data is validated, sanitized, and type-checked before processing.
- Deploy Runtime Protection: Use Precogs continuous monitoring to detect exploitation attempts in real time.
- Audit Dependencies: Review and update all third-party libraries and transitive dependencies.
Defending with Precogs AI
Appspace contains an insecure direct object reference (IDOR) or authentication bypass vulnerability. Attackers manipulate request parameters to access data or administrative functions belonging to other users. Precogs API Security Engine comprehensively audits resource-level authorization logic.
Use Precogs to continuously scan your codebase, binaries, APIs, and infrastructure for this vulnerability class and related attack patterns. Our AI-powered detection engine combines static analysis with threat intelligence to identify exploitable weaknesses before attackers do.
Vulnerability Code Signature
Attack Data Flow
| Stage | Detail |
|---|---|
| Source | User-supplied URL parameter |
| Vector | Server fetches the user-controlled URL |
| Sink | HTTP request library (e.g., fetch, axios) |
| Impact | Access to internal services, metadata endpoints, or port scanning |
Vulnerable Code Pattern
// ❌ VULNERABLE: Server-Side Request Forgery
app.get('/proxy', async (req, res) => {
const targetUrl = req.query.url;
// Taint sink: unvalidated outbound request
const response = await fetch(targetUrl);
res.send(await response.text());
});
Secure Code Pattern
// ✅ SECURE: Allowlist validation
const ALLOWED_DOMAINS = ['api.partner.com'];
app.get('/proxy', async (req, res) => {
const targetUrl = new URL(req.query.url);
if (!ALLOWED_DOMAINS.includes(targetUrl.hostname)) {
return res.status(403).send("Domain not allowed");
}
// Sanitized outbound request
const response = await fetch(targetUrl.href);
res.send(await response.text());
});
How Precogs Detects This
Precogs API Security Engine actively detects SSRF vulnerabilities by tracking unvalidated URL sinks and enforcing strict allowlist policies.\n