LOW CVSS 3.7
Published: 2021-04-01

CVE-2021-22890

haxx libcurl Security Advisory (CVE-2021-22890)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
Seeking technical exploit breakdowns or verified PoC code for CVE-2021-22890?
🔬 Search Writeups & Exploit Archive →

CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2021-22890 impacting haxx libcurl. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 3.7 (LOW).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
curl 7.63.0 to and including 7.75.0 includes vulnerability that allows a malicious HTTPS proxy to MITM a connection due to bad handling of TLS 1.3 session tickets. When using a HTTPS proxy and TLS 1.3, libcurl can confuse session tickets arriving from the HTTPS proxy but work as if they arrived from the remote server and then wrongly "short-cut" the host handshake. When confusing the tickets, a HTTPS proxy can trick libcurl to use the wrong session ticket resume for the host and thereby circumvent the server TLS certificate check and make a MITM attack to be possible to perform unnoticed. Note that such a malicious HTTPS proxy needs to provide a certificate that curl will accept for the MITMed server for an attack to work - unless curl has been told to ignore the server certificate check.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network (AV:N)
Exploitable remotely across internet boundaries
Attack Complexity
High (AC:H)
Depends on race conditions or environment
Privileges Required
None (PR:N)
Unauthenticated execution
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
Low (I:L)
Partial data modification possible
Availability
None (A:N)
No system availability impact

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product haxx / libcurl
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-300

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-2021-22890 impacting haxx libcurl.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2021-22890.yaml
id: cve-2021-22890

info:
  name: haxx libcurl - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: low
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2021-22890 affecting haxx libcurl.
    Evaluation: curl 7.63.0 to and including 7.75.0 includes vulnerability that allows a malicious HTTPS proxy to MITM a connection due to bad handling of TLS 1.3 ses...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2021-22890
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N
    cvss-score: 3.7
    cve-id: CVE-2021-22890
    cwe-id: CWE-300
  tags: cve,cve-2021-22890,haxx,libcurl,low

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "libcurl"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2021-22890.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2021-22890
# Target: haxx libcurl | CVSS: 3.7 (LOW)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2021-22890 (haxx libcurl)...")
    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 haxx libcurl 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-2021-22890.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2021-22890
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install libcurl 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade libcurl 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update libcurl

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

# 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-2021-22890 in haxx libcurl?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update haxx libcurl 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-2021-22890?

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-2021-22890?

CVE-2021-22890 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 3.7 (LOW). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
3.7
LOW SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2021-22890
Weakness CWE-300
Vendor haxx
Product libcurl
Published 2021-04-01
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N