What is CVE-2021-3840?

CVE-2021-3840 is a high-severity security vulnerability in antilles-tools (pip), affecting versions < 1.0.1. It is fixed in 1.0.1.

How severe is CVE-2021-3840?

CVE-2021-3840 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (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 antilles-tools are affected by CVE-2021-3840?

antilles-tools (pip) versions < 1.0.1 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2021-3840?

Yes. CVE-2021-3840 is fixed in 1.0.1. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2021-3840 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2021-3840 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-2021-3840 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.

CVE-2021-3840 in antilles-tools

Q: How severe is CVE-2021-3840?

CVE-2021-3840 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (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 antilles-tools are affected by CVE-2021-3840?

antilles-tools (pip) versions < 1.0.1 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2021-3840?

Yes. CVE-2021-3840 is fixed in 1.0.1. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2021-3840 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2021-3840 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-2021-3840 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-2021-3840?

Upgrade antilles-tools to 1.0.1 or later.

Summary

Antilles Dependency Confusion Vulnerability

Potential Impact:

Remote code execution.

Scope of Impact:

Open-source project specific.

Summary Description:

A dependency confusion vulnerability was reported in the Antilles open-source software prior to version 1.0.1 that could allow for remote code execution during installation due to a package listed in requirements.txt not existing in the public package index (PyPi).
MITRE classifies this weakness as an Uncontrolled Search Path Element (CWE-427) in which a private package dependency may be replaced by an unauthorized package of the same name published to a well-known public repository such as PyPi.
The configuration has been updated to only install components built by Antilles, removing all other public package indexes. Additionally, the antilles-tools dependency has been published to PyPi.

Mitigation Strategy for Customers (what you should do to protect yourself):

Remove previous versions of Antilles as a precautionary measure and Update to version 1.0.1 or later.

Acknowledgement:

The Antilles team thanks Kotko Vladyslav for reporting this issue.

References:

https://github.com/lenovo/Antilles/commit/c7b9c5740908b343aceefe69733d9972e64df0b9

Impact

CVE-2021-3840 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (High). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and user interaction required. 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 (1.0.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

antilles-tools (< 1.0.1)

Security releases

antilles-tools → 1.0.1 (pip)

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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Remediation advice

Upgrade antilles-tools to 1.0.1 or later to resolve this vulnerability.

Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-3840? CVE-2021-3840 is a high-severity security vulnerability in antilles-tools (pip), affecting versions < 1.0.1. It is fixed in 1.0.1.
How severe is CVE-2021-3840? CVE-2021-3840 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (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 antilles-tools are affected by CVE-2021-3840? antilles-tools (pip) versions < 1.0.1 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2021-3840? Yes. CVE-2021-3840 is fixed in 1.0.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2021-3840 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2021-3840 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-2021-3840 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-2021-3840? Upgrade antilles-tools to 1.0.1 or later.