CVE-2021-32704: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') in dhis2-core
Noroxi assessment
Priority: Monitor (action score 35/100)
- The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
- Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.76% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 55.8% of all records.
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
- According to the record, no fixed version is available yet.
Low priority for now. Update when a fix is released; follow the vendor's advisory.
Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it
Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS
DHIS 2 is an information system for data capture, management, validation, analytics and visualization. A SQL injection security vulnerability has been found in specific versions of DHIS2. This vulnerability affects the /api/trackedEntityInstances API endpoint in DHIS2 versions 2.34.4, 2.35.2, 2.35.3, 2.35.4, and 2.36.0. Earlier versions, such as 2.34.3 and 2.35.1 and all versions 2.33 and older are unaffected. The system is vulnerable to attack only from users that are logged in to DHIS2, and there is no known way of exploiting the vulnerability without first being logged in as a DHIS2 user. A successful exploit of this vulnerability could allow the malicious user to read, edit and delete data in the DHIS2 instance. There are no known exploits of the security vulnerabilities addressed by these patch releases. However, we strongly recommend that all DHIS2 implementations using versions 2.34, 2.35 and 2.36 install these patches as soon as possible. There is no straightforward known workaround for DHIS2 instances using the Tracker functionality other than upgrading the affected DHIS2 server to one of the patches in which this vulnerability has been fixed. For implementations which do NOT use Tracker functionality, it may be possible to block all network access to POST to the /api/trackedEntityInstance endpoint as a temporary workaround while waiting to upgrade.
- Published
- Jun 24, 2021
- Updated
- Jun 16, 2026
- EPSS
- 0.7% · 55th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-89
Report tools
Action score
35
Monitor
Low priority for now.
- CVSS
- 35 / 40 · 8.8 / 10
- CISA KEV
- 0 / 30 · Not listed
- EPSS
- 0 / 30 · 0.7%
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- 8.8
- CNA · GitHub_M
- 8.5
- 0.3 point gap
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.
Get told when this record changes
- Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
- No public exploit code on record
- No fixed version yet
If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.
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Noroxi analysis
What does it mean in your environment?
The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.
We use this product, ask for helpAffected systems
Is your version affected?
Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.
| Vendor | Product | CPE |
|---|---|---|
| dhis2 | dhis 2 | cpe:2.3:a:dhis2:dhis_2 |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- dhis2 dhis 22.34.4 and later · before 2.34.5
- dhis2 dhis 22.35.2 and later · before 2.35.5
- dhis2 dhis 22.36.0 and later · before 2.36.1
Versions reported by the vendor
Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (GitHub_M). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.
dhis2 dhis2-core
- >= 2.34.4, < 2.34.5, >= 2.35.2, < 2.35.5, >= 2.36.0, < 2.36.1affected
Same product
dhis2: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2021-39179SQL Injection in DHIS2 Tracker API36Monitor
- CVE-2022-24848SQL Injection in DHIS2's in OrgUnit program association35Monitor
- CVE-2021-41187SQL Injection in DHIS2 Tracker API35Monitor
Published before and after this one in the same product
- Later →CVE-2022-41949Dec 8, 2022 · Semi-blind Server-Side Request Forgery in dhis2-core17Monitor
- Later →CVE-2022-41947Dec 8, 2022 · Cross-site Scripting with user-uploaded files in dhis2-core21Monitor
- Later →CVE-2022-41948Dec 8, 2022 · Privilege Chaining with the user admin role in dhis2-core28Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.
Exploit status
No known public exploit
No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.
Research context
For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.
Timeline
From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.
No dated events beyond publication.
No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).
Patch and commit links
Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.
No commit or PR link among the references.
Credits
All researchersFinders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.
No credits in the CNA record.
Variant candidates
Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.
No nightly-computed relations.
Chain candidates
An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.
—
Bug bounty scope
No known public program.
Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).
Technical details
Attack conditions
- Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
- A low-privileged account is enough.
- No user action is required.
- No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
If successful
- Confidentiality
- high · data can be read
- Integrity
- high · data or configuration can be modified
- Availability
- high · the service can be disrupted
- Attack vector
- Network
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
Weakness class (CWE)
CWE-89 · Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-primary
Root cause
The query text is built by concatenating user input. The database cannot tell where the data ends and the command begins.
The bug in code
The whole CWE-89 classA representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.
Vulnerable
const owner = req.query.owner;
const rows = await db.query(
"SELECT * FROM files WHERE owner = '" + owner + "'"
);Fixed
const owner = req.query.owner;
const rows = await db.query(
"SELECT * FROM files WHERE owner = $1",
[owner]
);Attack context
MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.
Attack patterns (CAPEC)
- Command Line Execution through SQL InjectionCAPEC-108likelihood: Low · Very High
- Object Relational Mapping InjectionCAPEC-109likelihood: Low · High
- SQL Injection through SOAP Parameter TamperingCAPEC-110likelihood: High · Very High
- Expanding Control over the Operating System from the DatabaseCAPEC-470Very High
- SQL InjectionCAPEC-66likelihood: High · High
- Blind SQL InjectionCAPEC-7likelihood: High · High
ATT&CK techniques
—
Change log
No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.
References
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.