CVE-2021-41268: Cookie persistence in Symfony
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: 1.3% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 71.1% 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.
- Fixed version: symfony/security-bundle (Packagist) 5.3.12; symfony/symfony (Packagist) 5.3.12.
- Severity is disputed: the assigning authority (CNA) scores it 6.5, NVD 8.8.
Low priority for now. Upgrade to symfony/security-bundle (Packagist) 5.3.12; symfony/symfony (Packagist) 5.3.12 or later.
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
Symfony/SecurityBundle is the security system for Symfony, a PHP framework for web and console applications and a set of reusable PHP components. Since the rework of the Remember me cookie in version 5.3.0, the cookie is not invalidated when the user changes their password. Attackers can therefore maintain their access to the account even if the password is changed as long as they have had the chance to login once and get a valid remember me cookie. Starting with version 5.3.12, Symfony makes the password part of the signature by default. In that way, when the password changes, then the cookie is not valid anymore.
- Published
- Nov 24, 2021
- Updated
- Jun 17, 2026
- EPSS
- 1.3% · 71th percentile
- CWE
- CWE-384
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 · 1.3%
CNA vs NVD score
- NVD
- 8.8
- CNA · GitHub_M
- 6.5
- 2.3 point gap
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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
- A fix has been released
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 |
|---|---|---|
| sensiolabs | symfony | cpe:2.3:a:sensiolabs:symfony |
Affected versions
NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.
- sensiolabs symfony5.3.0 and later · before 5.3.12
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.
symfony symfony
- >= 5.3.0, < 5.3.12affected
Package-level exposure
OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Packagist | symfony/security-bundle | from 5.3.0 · before 5.3.12 | 5.3.12 |
| Packagist | symfony/symfony | from 5.3.0 · before 5.3.12 | 5.3.12 |
Same product
sensiolabs: all recordsOther highest-scoring records for the same primary product.
- CVE-2019-18889An issue was discovered in Symfony 3.4.0 through 3.4.34, 4.2.0 through 4.2.11, and 4.3.0 through 4.3.7.49Plan
- CVE-2018-14773An issue was discovered in Http Foundation in Symfony 2.7.0 through 2.7.48, 2.8.0 through 2.8.43, 3.3.0 through 3.3.17, 3.4.0 through 3.4.1343Plan
- CVE-2019-10910In Symfony before 2.7.51, 2.8.x before 2.8.50, 3.x before 3.4.26, 4.x before 4.1.12, and 4.2.x before 4.2.7, when service ids allow user inp41Plan
Published before and after this one in the same product
- ← EarlierCVE-2021-32693Jun 17, 2021 · Authentication granted with multiple firewalls35Monitor
- ← EarlierCVE-2021-41267Nov 24, 2021 · Webcache Poisoning in Symfony26Monitor
- Later →CVE-2021-41270Nov 24, 2021 · CSV Injection in Symfony26Monitor
Remediation
Which version to upgrade to
Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.
| Product / package | Fixed version | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Packagist:symfony/security-bundle | 5.3.12 | Package registry (OSV) |
| Packagist:symfony/symfony | 5.3.12 | Package registry (OSV) |
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.
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-384 · Session FixationCVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
nvd-primary
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)
- Session Credential Falsification through ForgingCAPEC-196likelihood: Medium · Medium
- Exploitation of Trusted IdentifiersCAPEC-21likelihood: High · High
- Accessing/Intercepting/Modifying HTTP CookiesCAPEC-31likelihood: High · High
- Manipulating Opaque Client-based Data TokensCAPEC-39likelihood: High · Medium
- Session Credential Falsification through PredictionCAPEC-59likelihood: High · High
- Reusing Session IDs (aka Session Replay)CAPEC-60likelihood: High · High
- Session FixationCAPEC-61likelihood: Medium · High
ATT&CK techniques
- Access Token ManipulationT1134
- Access Token Manipulation:Token Impersonation/TheftT1134.001
- Access Token Manipulation: Create Process with TokenT1134.002
- Access Token Manipulation: Make and Impersonate TokenT1134.003
- Steal Application Access TokenT1528
- Steal Web Session CookieT1539
- Use Alternate Authentication Material:Web Session CookieT1550.004
- Forge Web CredentialsT1606
Change log
- Fix✗ → ✓
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References
Show all references (3 more)Show less
Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.