What is CVE-2021-21414?

CVE-2021-21414 is a high-severity OS command injection vulnerability in @prisma/sdk (npm), affecting versions < 2.20.0. It is fixed in 2.20.0. Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host.

How severe is CVE-2021-21414?

CVE-2021-21414 has a CVSS score of 7.7 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Which versions of @prisma/sdk are affected by CVE-2021-21414?

@prisma/sdk (npm) versions < 2.20.0 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2021-21414?

Yes. CVE-2021-21414 is fixed in 2.20.0. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2021-21414 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2021-21414 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

What actually determines whether CVE-2021-21414 is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

How do I fix CVE-2021-21414?

Upgrade @prisma/sdk to 2.20.0 or later.

CVE-2021-21414 in @prisma/sdk

Q: How severe is CVE-2021-21414?

CVE-2021-21414 has a CVSS score of 7.7 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Q: Which versions of @prisma/sdk are affected by CVE-2021-21414?

@prisma/sdk (npm) versions < 2.20.0 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2021-21414?

Yes. CVE-2021-21414 is fixed in 2.20.0. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2021-21414 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2021-21414 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2021-21414 is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2021-21414?

Upgrade @prisma/sdk to 2.20.0 or later.

Summary

Command injection vulnerability in @prisma/sdk in getPackedPackage function

Acknowledgements

This issue was discovered and reported by GitHub Engineer @erik-krogh (Erik Krogh Kristensen).

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

Create a discussion in the Prisma repository
Email us at [email protected]

Impact

As of today, we are not aware of any Prisma users or external consumers of the @prisma/sdk package who are affected by this security vulnerability.

This issue may lead to remote code execution if a client of the library calls the vulnerable method with untrusted input.

It only affects the getPackedPackage function and this function is not advertised and only used for tests & building our CLI, no malicious code was found after checking our codebase.

Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host. Typical impact: code execution in the application's environment.

CVE-2021-21414 has a CVSS score of 7.7 (High). The vector is network-reachable, high privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2.20.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

@prisma/sdk (< 2.20.0)

Security releases

@prisma/sdk → 2.20.0 (npm)

Kodem intelligence

Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.

Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.

Already deployed Kodem?

See it in your environment New to Kodem? Get a demo →

Remediation advice

Fixed in

@prisma/[email protected] (latest channel)
@prisma/[email protected] (dev channel)

Pull Request closing this vulnerability https://github.com/prisma/prisma/pull/6245

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-21414? CVE-2021-21414 is a high-severity OS command injection vulnerability in @prisma/sdk (npm), affecting versions < 2.20.0. It is fixed in 2.20.0. Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host.
How severe is CVE-2021-21414? CVE-2021-21414 has a CVSS score of 7.7 (High). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
Which versions of @prisma/sdk are affected by CVE-2021-21414? @prisma/sdk (npm) versions < 2.20.0 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2021-21414? Yes. CVE-2021-21414 is fixed in 2.20.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2021-21414 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2021-21414 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
What actually determines whether CVE-2021-21414 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
How do I fix CVE-2021-21414? Upgrade @prisma/sdk to 2.20.0 or later.