CVE-2021-41242
HIGHEPSS 71th pctlDescription
OpenOlat is a web-basedlearning management system. A path traversal vulnerability exists in OpenOlat prior to versions 15.5.12 and 16.0.5. By providing a filename that contains a relative path as a parameter in some REST methods, it is possible to create directory structures and write files anywhere on the target system. The attack could be used to write files anywhere in the web root folder or outside, depending on the configuration of the system and the properly configured permission of the application server user. The attack requires an OpenOlat user account, an enabled REST API and the rights on a business object to call the vulnerable REST calls. The problem is fixed in version 15.5.12 and 16.0.5. There is a workaround available. The vulnerability requires the REST module to be enabled. Disabling the REST module or limiting the REST module via some firewall or web-server access rules to be accessed only be trusted systems will mitigate the risk.
How to fix
TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works
Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Elevated risk: more likely to be exploited than 71% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-23 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2024-27199 | High | 7.3 | 100% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
| CVE-2020-5410 | High | 7.5 | 96% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2021-40870 | Critical | 9.8 | 93% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2025-64446 | Critical | 9.8 | 92% | KEV | Fix |
| CVE-2020-5405 | Medium | 6.5 | 69% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2025-55752 | High | 7.5 | 67% | - | Fix |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2021-41242?
Upgrade openolat to 16.0.5 or later.
Is CVE-2021-41242 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2021-41242 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 1.4% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 71% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2021-41242?
CVE-2021-41242 has a CVSS v3 base score of 8.1, rated high. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
What does CVE-2021-41242 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for openolat (NVD). Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2024-11-21.