Summary
Authentication granted to all firewalls instead of just one
Description
When an application defines multiple firewalls, the authenticated token delivered by one of the firewalls is available to all other firewalls. This can be abused when the application defines different providers for different parts of an application. In such a situation, a user authenticated on one part of the application is considered authenticated on the whole application.
Resolution
We now ensure that the authenticated token is only available for the firewall that generates it.
The patch for this issue is available here for branch 5.3.
Credits
I would like to thank Bogdan, gndk, Paweł Warchoł, Warxcell, and Adrien Lamotte for reporting the issue and Wouter J for fixing the issue.
Impact
The application does not adequately verify the identity of a user, device, or process before granting access. Typical impact: unauthorized access to functions or data reserved for authenticated parties.
CVE-2021-32693 has a CVSS score of 6.8 (Medium). The vector is network-reachable, low 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 (5.3.2); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
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.
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symfony/security-http to 5.3.2 or later; symfony/symfony to 5.3.2 or later
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2021-32693? CVE-2021-32693 is a medium-severity improper authentication vulnerability in symfony/security-http (composer), affecting versions >= 5.3.0, < 5.3.2. It is fixed in 5.3.2. The application does not adequately verify the identity of a user, device, or process before granting access.
- How severe is CVE-2021-32693? CVE-2021-32693 has a CVSS score of 6.8 (Medium). 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 packages are affected by CVE-2021-32693?
symfony/security-http(composer) (versions >= 5.3.0, < 5.3.2)symfony/symfony(composer) (versions >= 5.3.0, < 5.3.2)
- Is there a fix for CVE-2021-32693? Yes. CVE-2021-32693 is fixed in 5.3.2. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2021-32693 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2021-32693 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-2021-32693 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-2021-32693?
- Upgrade
symfony/security-httpto 5.3.2 or later - Upgrade
symfony/symfonyto 5.3.2 or later
- Upgrade