MEDIUM CVSS 6.5
Published: 2021-03-09

CVE-2021-21369

linuxfoundation besu Security Advisory (CVE-2021-21369)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
Seeking technical exploit breakdowns or verified PoC code for CVE-2021-21369?
🔬 Search Writeups & Exploit Archive →

CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2021-21369 impacting linuxfoundation besu. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 6.5 (MEDIUM).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
Hyperledger Besu is an open-source, MainNet compatible, Ethereum client written in Java. In Besu before version 1.5.1 there is a denial-of-service vulnerability involving the HTTP JSON-RPC API service. If username and password authentication is enabled for the HTTP JSON-RPC API service, then prior to making any requests to an API endpoint the requestor must use the login endpoint to obtain a JSON web token (JWT) using their credentials. A single user can readily overload the login endpoint with invalid requests (incorrect password). As the supplied password is checked for validity on the main vertx event loop and takes a relatively long time this can cause the processing of other valid requests to fail. A valid username is required for this vulnerability to be exposed. This has been fixed in version 1.5.1.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network (AV:N)
Exploitable remotely across internet boundaries
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
Low (PR:L)
Standard user access required
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Unchanged (S:U)
Confined to same security context
Confidentiality
None (C:N)
No data confidentiality impact
Integrity
None (I:N)
No system modification impact
Availability
High (A:H)
Total denial of service or shutdown

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product linuxfoundation / besu
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-400

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2021-21369 impacting linuxfoundation besu.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2021-21369.yaml
id: cve-2021-21369

info:
  name: linuxfoundation besu - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: medium
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2021-21369 affecting linuxfoundation besu.
    Evaluation: Hyperledger Besu is an open-source, MainNet compatible, Ethereum client written in Java. In Besu before version 1.5.1 there is a denial-of-service vul...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2021-21369
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
    cvss-score: 6.5
    cve-id: CVE-2021-21369
    cwe-id: CWE-400
  tags: cve,cve-2021-21369,linuxfoundation,besu,medium

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "besu"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2021-21369.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2021-21369
# Target: linuxfoundation besu | CVSS: 6.5 (MEDIUM)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2021-21369 (linuxfoundation besu)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against linuxfoundation besu scope (*).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2021-21369.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2021-21369
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install besu 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade besu 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update besu

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i besu 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i besu

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2021-21369 in linuxfoundation besu?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update linuxfoundation besu packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2021-21369?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2021-21369?

CVE-2021-21369 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 6.5 (MEDIUM). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
6.5
MEDIUM SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2021-21369
Weakness CWE-400
Vendor linuxfoundation
Product besu
Published 2021-03-09
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H