CVE-2021-32050 in C Driver
Summary
by MITRE • 08/29/2023
Some MongoDB Drivers may erroneously publish events containing authentication-related data to a command listener configured by an application. The published events may contain security-sensitive data when specific authentication-related commands are executed.
Without due care, an application may inadvertently expose this sensitive information, e.g., by writing it to a log file. This issue only arises if an application enables the command listener feature (this is not enabled by default).
This issue affects the MongoDB C Driver 1.0.0 prior to 1.17.7, MongoDB PHP Driver 1.0.0 prior to 1.9.2, MongoDB Swift Driver 1.0.0 prior to 1.1.1, MongoDB Node.js Driver 3.6 prior to 3.6.10, MongoDB Node.js Driver 4.0 prior to 4.17.0 and MongoDB Node.js Driver 5.0 prior to 5.8.0. This issue also affects users of the MongoDB C++ Driver dependent on the C driver 1.0.0 prior to 1.17.7 (C++ driver prior to 3.7.0).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/07/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2021-32050 represents a critical information disclosure flaw in multiple MongoDB driver implementations that can lead to unauthorized exposure of authentication credentials and sensitive data. This issue stems from improper handling of command listener events within MongoDB drivers, where authentication-related commands inadvertently include sensitive information in published events. The flaw specifically manifests when applications configure command listeners to monitor database operations, a feature that remains disabled by default, making the vulnerability dependent on explicit application configuration choices.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the command listener mechanism within MongoDB drivers, which is designed to provide monitoring capabilities for database operations. When authentication commands such as authenticate, saslStart, or saslContinue are executed, the driver's command listener may include complete authentication payloads in the published events. This occurs because the drivers fail to properly sanitize or filter authentication-related data before including it in the event objects that are then made available to application listeners. The vulnerability affects a broad range of MongoDB driver implementations across different programming languages and platforms, including C, PHP, Swift, Node.js, and C++ drivers, indicating a systemic design flaw rather than isolated component issues.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to potentially enable credential theft and privilege escalation attacks. When applications inadvertently log command listener events without proper sanitization, authentication credentials, passwords, and authentication tokens may be written to log files, database records, or other persistent storage mechanisms. This creates attack vectors for adversaries who gain access to these log files, potentially allowing them to extract valid authentication credentials for MongoDB instances. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can affect applications that are not explicitly designed to handle sensitive data exposure, making it difficult to detect and prevent through standard security controls. According to CWE-200, this vulnerability maps to information exposure through log files, while ATT&CK framework references this as T1567.002 for credentials from password repositories and T1078 for valid accounts.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2021-32050 require both immediate patching and operational security improvements. Organizations must upgrade all affected MongoDB driver versions to their patched releases, specifically updating to MongoDB C Driver 1.17.7 or later, MongoDB PHP Driver 1.9.2 or later, MongoDB Swift Driver 1.1.1 or later, MongoDB Node.js Driver 3.6.10 or later, MongoDB Node.js Driver 4.17.0 or later, and MongoDB Node.js Driver 5.8.0 or later, along with corresponding C++ driver versions. Additionally, applications should implement strict data sanitization policies for command listener events, ensuring that any sensitive information is filtered out before being processed or logged. Security teams should conduct comprehensive audits of all MongoDB-related applications to identify instances where command listeners are enabled and verify proper data handling procedures. The use of centralized logging solutions with proper access controls and regular log file reviews becomes critical to prevent unauthorized access to potentially compromised authentication data. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring to detect unusual authentication patterns that might indicate credential theft attempts.