CVE-2021-43298
The code that performs password matching when using 'Basic' HTTP authentication does not use a...
The code that performs password matching when using 'Basic' HTTP authentication does not use a constant-time memcmp and has no rate-limiting. This means that an unauthenticated network attacker can brute-force the HTTP basic password, byte-by-byte, by recording the webserver's response time until the unauthorized (401) response.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
The code that performs password matching when using 'Basic' HTTP authentication does not use a constant-time memcmp and has no rate-limiting. This means that an unauthenticated network attacker can brute-force the HTTP basic password, byte-by-byte, by recording the webserver's response time until the unauthorized (401) response.
- Record
CVE-2021-43298- CVSS 3.1
- 9.8 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 5.0 Medium
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-208, CWE-307
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
The code that performs password matching when using 'Basic' HTTP authentication does not use a constant-time memcmp and has no rate-limiting. This means that an unauthenticated network attacker can brute-force the HTTP basic password, byte-by-byte, by recording the webserver's response time until the unauthorized (401) response.
- Record
CVE-2021-43298- Weakness
- CWE-208
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2021-30241 No score
The code that performs password matching when using 'Basic' HTTP authentication does not use a constant-time memcmp and has no rate-limiting. This means that an unauthenticated network attacker can brute-force the HTTP basic password, byte-by-byte, by recording the webserver's response time until the unauthorized (401) response.
- Record
EUVD-2021-30241- Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-cfh2-3f5r-4vf9 No score
The code that performs password matching when using 'Basic' HTTP authentication does not use a...
The code that performs password matching when using 'Basic' HTTP authentication does not use a constant-time memcmp and has no rate-limiting. This means that an unauthenticated network attacker can brute-force the HTTP basic password, byte-by-byte, by recording the webserver's response time until the unauthorized (401) response.
- Record
GHSA-cfh2-3f5r-4vf9- Weakness
- CWE-307
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2021-43298 is a critical vulnerability (CVSS 9.8) in Embedthis Goahead, published January 25, 2022. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 2.26%, the 83rd percentile. No source names a fixed version.