VulnerabilityPublished 7 Sep 2021Updated 30 May 2025

CVE-2021-38616

Source CVE Database V5

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.6 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:16 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.6High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 1.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 70% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AC:L/AV:N/A:L/C:L/I:H/PR:L/S:U/UI:N

Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Vector: Network
Availability: Low
Confidentiality: Low
Integrity: High
Privileges Required: Low
Scope: Unchanged
User Interaction: None

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Availability: Low: Performance is reduced or there are interruptions in resource availability. Even if repeated exploitation of the vulnerability is possible, the attacker does not have the ability to completely deny service to legitimate users. The resources in the impacted component are either partially available all of the time, or fully available only some of the time, but overall there is no direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Confidentiality: Low: There is some loss of confidentiality. Access to some restricted information is obtained, but the attacker does not have control over what information is obtained, or the amount or kind of loss is limited. The information disclosure does not cause a direct, serious loss to the impacted component.
Integrity: High: There is a total loss of integrity, or a complete loss of protection. For example, the attacker is able to modify any/all files protected by the impacted component. Alternatively, only some files can be modified, but malicious modification would present a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component.
Privileges Required: Low: The attacker is authorized with (i.e., requires) privileges that provide basic user capabilities that could normally affect only settings and files owned by a user. Alternatively, an attacker with Low privileges may have the ability to cause an impact only to non-sensitive resources.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 7 Sep 2021
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
n/a n/a	Affected =3.10.1	Fixed in–

AI-suggested

To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should immediately audit and restrict access controls on the /auth/v1/user/{user-guid}/ endpoint. Implement strict server-side authorization checks to ensure that users can only modify their own profiles and that permission changes are validated against a secure policy. Employ role-based access control (RBAC) or attribute-based access control (ABAC) mechanisms to enforce least privilege principles. If possible, upgrade to a patched version of Eigen NLP once available or apply vendor-provided patches. In the absence of patches, consider deploying web application firewalls (WAFs) with custom rules to detect and block suspicious PATCH requests attempting to modify user_permissions arrays. Conduct thorough logging and monitoring of user profile modifications to detect anomalous activities. Additionally, enforce strong authentication mechanisms and consider multi-factor authentication (MFA) to reduce the risk of compromised credentials being used to exploit this flaw. Network segmentation and limiting exposure of the NLP service to trusted internal networks can further reduce attack vectors.

Description

In Eigen NLP 3.10.1, a lack of access control on the /auth/v1/user/{user-guid}/ user edition endpoint could permit any logged-in user to increase their own permissions via a user_permissions array in a PATCH request. A guest user could modify other users' profiles and much more.

Impact

For European organizations using Eigen NLP 3.10.1, this vulnerability poses a substantial risk to the confidentiality and integrity of user data and system permissions. Attackers could leverage this flaw to escalate privileges, potentially gaining administrative rights or altering user roles, which could lead to unauthorized data access or manipulation. This could compromise sensitive information, disrupt normal operations, and damage organizational reputation. In sectors such as finance, healthcare, or government where user data protection is critical and regulated under GDPR, exploitation could result in regulatory penalties and loss of customer trust. Furthermore, the ability for guest users to modify other users' profiles increases the attack surface, making it easier for external attackers to infiltrate systems without prior credentials. The vulnerability could also facilitate lateral movement within networks if attackers gain elevated permissions, increasing the risk of broader compromise. Given the remote exploitability and lack of user interaction, the threat is particularly severe for organizations with exposed or poorly segmented NLP service endpoints.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 8 Jul 2025, 15:30 UTC

Technical details

References

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