Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2021-32633

Zope is an open-source web application server. In Zope versions prior to 4.6 and 5.2, users can access untrusted modules indirectly through Python modules that are available for direct use. By default, only users with the Manager role can add or edit Zope Page Templates through the web, but sites that allow untrusted users to add/edit Zope Page Templates through the web are at risk from this vulnerability. The problem has been fixed in Zope 5.2 and 4.6. As a workaround, a site administrator can restrict adding/editing Zope Page Templates through the web using the standard Zope user/role permission mechanisms. Untrusted users should not be assigned the Zope Manager role and adding/editing Zope Page Templates through the web should be restricted to trusted users only.

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a MEDIUM severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 6.8, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network but requires specific conditions to be met without requiring user interaction requiring only low-level privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), for affected systems. Impacting 2 products from plone, from zope organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

Reported in 2021, this vulnerability emerged during an era marked by increased sophistication in supply chain attacks, cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) security challenges. Security practices during this period emphasized zero-trust architectures, container security, and API protection.

Published

2021-05-21T14:15:07.977

Last Modified

2024-11-21T06:07:25.347

Status

Modified

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.1: 6.8 (MEDIUM)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P

Access Vector: NETWORK
Access Complexity: LOW
Authentication: SINGLE
Confidentiality Impact: PARTIAL
Integrity Impact: PARTIAL
Availability Impact: PARTIAL

Exploitability Score

8.0

Impact Score

6.4

Weaknesses

Type: Secondary
CWE-22
Type: Primary
CWE-22

Affected Vendors & Products

Type	Vendor	Product	Version/Range	Vulnerable?
Application	plone	plone	≤ 4.3.20	Yes
Application	plone	plone	≤ 5.2.4	Yes
Application	zope	zope	< 4.6	Yes
Application	zope	zope	< 5.2	Yes

References

http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/05/21/1 Mailing List, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/05/22/1 Mailing List, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://cyllective.com/blog/post/plone-authenticated-rce-cve-2021-32633/ Exploit, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://github.com/zopefoundation/Zope/commit/1f8456bf1f908ea46012537d52bd7e752a532c91 Patch, Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
https://github.com/zopefoundation/Zope/security/advisories/GHSA-5pr9-v234-jw36 Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/05/21/1 Mailing List, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/05/22/1 Mailing List, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://cyllective.com/blog/post/plone-authenticated-rce-cve-2021-32633/ Exploit, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://github.com/zopefoundation/Zope/commit/1f8456bf1f908ea46012537d52bd7e752a532c91 Patch, Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://github.com/zopefoundation/Zope/security/advisories/GHSA-5pr9-v234-jw36 Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For plone's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.