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CVE-2021-21408

Access to restricted PHP code by dynamic static class access in smarty

8.8 HighFix available

Smarty is a template engine for PHP, facilitating the separation of presentation (HTML/CSS) from application logic. Prior to versions 3.1.43 and 4.0.3, template authors could run restricted static php methods. Users should upgrade to version 3.1.43 or 4.0.3 to receive a patch.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges needed
Low
User interaction
None

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Exploit likelihood

2.14%Up 1.1 points since Jan 11, 2022
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

CVE List Score used 8.8

Access to restricted PHP code by dynamic static class access in smarty

Smarty is a template engine for PHP, facilitating the separation of presentation (HTML/CSS) from application logic. Prior to versions 3.1.43 and 4.0.3, template authors could run restricted static php methods. Users should upgrade to version 3.1.43 or 4.0.3 to receive a patch.

Record
CVE-2021-21408
CVSS 3.1
8.8 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Weakness
CWE-20
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2022-0443 8.8

Smarty is a template engine for PHP, facilitating the separation of presentation (HTML/CSS) from application logic. Prior to versions 3.1.43 and 4.0.3, template authors could run restricted static php methods. Users should upgrade to version 3.1.43 or 4.0.3 to receive a patch.

Record
EUVD-2022-0443
CVSS 3.1
8.8 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-4h9c-v5vg-5m6m 8.8

Access to restricted PHP code by dynamic static class access in smarty

Impact

Template authors could run restricted static php methods.

Patches

Please upgrade to 3.1.40 or higher.

References

See the documentation on Smarty security features on the static_classes access filter.

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory please open an issue in the Smarty repo

Record
GHSA-4h9c-v5vg-5m6m
CVSS 3.1
8.8 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Weakness
CWE-20
Updated
2026-11-02
NVD 8.8

Smarty is a template engine for PHP, facilitating the separation of presentation (HTML/CSS) from application logic. Prior to versions 3.1.43 and 4.0.3, template authors could run restricted static php methods. Users should upgrade to version 3.1.43 or 4.0.3 to receive a patch.

Record
CVE-2021-21408
CVSS 3.1
8.8 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS 2.0
6.5 MediumAV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P
Weakness
CWE-20
Updated
2026-11-02
OSV 8.8

Smarty is a template engine for PHP, facilitating the separation of presentation (HTML/CSS) from application logic. Prior to versions 3.1.43 and 4.0.3, template authors could run restricted static php methods. Users should upgrade to version 3.1.43 or 4.0.3 to receive a patch.

Record
CVE-2021-21408
CVSS 3.1
8.8 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2021-21408 8.8

Smarty is a template engine for PHP, facilitating the separation of presentation (HTML/CSS) from application logic. Prior to versions 3.1.43 and 4.0.3, template authors could run restricted static php methods. Users should upgrade to version 3.1.43 or 4.0.3 to receive a patch.

Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2021-21408
CVSS 3.1
8.8 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
Show 6 moreShow less
OSVGHSA-4h9c-v5vg-5m6m 8.8

Access to restricted PHP code by dynamic static class access in smarty

Impact

Template authors could run restricted static php methods.

Patches

Please upgrade to 3.1.40 or higher.

References

See the documentation on Smarty security features on the static_classes access filter.

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory please open an issue in the Smarty repo

Record
GHSA-4h9c-v5vg-5m6m
CVSS 3.1
8.8 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Weakness
CWE-20
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2021-21408 8.8

Smarty is a template engine for PHP, facilitating the separation of presentation (HTML/CSS) from application logic. Prior to versions 3.1.43 and 4.0.3, template authors could run restricted static php methods. Users should upgrade to version 3.1.43 or 4.0.3 to receive a patch.

Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2021-21408
CVSS 3.1
8.8 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVMGASA-2022-0127 No score

Updated php-smarty packages fix security vulnerability

Updated php-smarty packages to version 4 for php 8 compatibility and to fix security vulnerabilities.

Record
MGASA-2022-0127
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVUSN-5348-1 No score

smarty3 vulnerabilities

David Gnedt and Thomas Konrad discovered that Smarty was incorrectly sanitizing the paths present in the templates. An attacker could possibly use this use to read arbitrary files when controlling the executed template. (CVE-2018-13982)

It was discovered that Smarty was incorrectly sanitizing the paths present in the templates. An attacker could possibly use this use to read arbitrary files when controlling the executed template. (CVE-2018-16831)

It was discovered that Smarty was incorrectly validating security policy data, allowing the execution of static classes even when not permitted by the security settings. An attacker could possibly use this issue to execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2021-21408)

It was discovered that Smarty was incorrectly managing access control to template objects, which allowed users to perform a sandbox escape. An attacker could possibly use this issue to send specially crafted input to applications that use Smarty and execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2021-26119)

It was discovered that Smarty was not checking for special characters when setting function names during plugin compile operations. An attacker could possibly use this issue to send specially crafted input to applications that use Smarty and execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2021-26120)

It was discovered that Smarty was incorrectly sanitizing characters in math strings processed by the math function. An attacker could possibly use this issue to send specially crafted input to applications that use Smarty and execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2021-29454)

Record
USN-5348-1
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVUSN-5348-2 No score

smarty3 vulnerabilities

USN-5348-1 fixed several vulnerabilities in Smarty. This update provides the fixes for CVE-2021-21408, CVE-2021-26119, CVE-2021-26120 and CVE-2021-29454 for Ubuntu 16.04 ESM.

Original advisory details:

David Gnedt and Thomas Konrad discovered that Smarty was incorrectly sanitizing the paths present in the templates. An attacker could possibly use this use to read arbitrary files when controlling the executed template. (CVE-2018-13982)

It was discovered that Smarty was incorrectly sanitizing the paths present in the templates. An attacker could possibly use this use to read arbitrary files when controlling the executed template. (CVE-2018-16831)

It was discovered that Smarty was incorrectly validating security policy data, allowing the execution of static classes even when not permitted by the security settings. An attacker could possibly use this issue to execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2021-21408)

It was discovered that Smarty was incorrectly managing access control to template objects, which allowed users to perform a sandbox escape. An attacker could possibly use this issue to send specially crafted input to applications that use Smarty and execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2021-26119)

It was discovered that Smarty was not checking for special characters when setting function names during plugin compile operations. An attacker could possibly use this issue to send specially crafted input to applications that use Smarty and execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2021-26120)

It was discovered that Smarty was incorrectly sanitizing characters in math strings processed by the math function. An attacker could possibly use this issue to send specially crafted input to applications that use Smarty and execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2021-29454)

Record
USN-5348-2
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVUSN-5348-3 No score

smarty3 vulnerabilities

USN-5348-1 fixed several vulnerabilities in Smarty. This update provides the fixes for CVE-2021-21408, CVE-2021-26119, CVE-2021-26120 and CVE-2021-29454 for Ubuntu 20.04 ESM.

Original advisory details:

David Gnedt and Thomas Konrad discovered that Smarty was incorrectly sanitizing the paths present in the templates. An attacker could possibly use this use to read arbitrary files when controlling the executed template. (CVE-2018-13982)

It was discovered that Smarty was incorrectly sanitizing the paths present in the templates. An attacker could possibly use this use to read arbitrary files when controlling the executed template. (CVE-2018-16831)

It was discovered that Smarty was incorrectly validating security policy data, allowing the execution of static classes even when not permitted by the security settings. An attacker could possibly use this issue to execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2021-21408)

It was discovered that Smarty was incorrectly managing access control to template objects, which allowed users to perform a sandbox escape. An attacker could possibly use this issue to send specially crafted input to applications that use Smarty and execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2021-26119)

It was discovered that Smarty was not checking for special characters when setting function names during plugin compile operations. An attacker could possibly use this issue to send specially crafted input to applications that use Smarty and execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2021-26120)

It was discovered that Smarty was incorrectly sanitizing characters in math strings processed by the math function. An attacker could possibly use this issue to send specially crafted input to applications that use Smarty and execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2021-29454)

Record
USN-5348-3
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
smarty/smarty
Packagist
before 3.1.43
3.1.43
smarty/smarty
Packagist
4.0.0 up to 4.0.3
4.0.3
smarty3
Debian:12
before 3.1.45-1
3.1.45-1
smarty3
Debian:13
before 3.1.45-1
3.1.45-1
smarty3
Debian:14
before 3.1.45-1
3.1.45-1
smarty4
Debian:12
before 4.1.1-1
4.1.1-1
smarty4
Debian:13
before 4.1.1-1
4.1.1-1
smarty4
Debian:14
before 4.1.1-1
4.1.1-1
smarty3
Debian:9
From an advisory covering 2 CVEs
before 3.1.31+20161214.1.c7d42e4+selfpack1-2+deb9u5, plus listed versions
3.1.31+20161214.1.c7d42e4+selfpack1-23.1.31+20161214.1.c7d42e4+selfpack1-2+deb9u13.1.31+20161214.1.c7d42e4+selfpack1-2+deb9u23.1.31+20161214.1.c7d42e4+selfpack1-2+deb9u33.1.31+20161214.1.c7d42e4+selfpack1-2+deb9u4
3.1.31+20161214.1.c7d42e4+selfpack1-2+deb9u5
smarty3
Debian:10
From an advisory covering 3 CVEs
before 3.1.33+20180830.1.3a78a21f+selfpack1-1+deb10u1, plus listed versions
3.1.33+20180830.1.3a78a21f+selfpack1-1
3.1.33+20180830.1.3a78a21f+selfpack1-1+deb10u1
Show 11 moreShow less
Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
smarty3
Debian:11
From an advisory covering 3 CVEs
before 3.1.39-2+deb11u1, plus listed versions
3.1.39-13.1.39-2
3.1.39-2+deb11u1
smarty/smarty
Packagist
before 3.1.43, plus listed versions
v2.6.24v2.6.25v2.6.26v2.6.27v2.6.28
Show 36 moreShow less
v2.6.29v2.6.30v2.6.31v2.6.33v3.1.11v3.1.12v3.1.13v3.1.14v3.1.15v3.1.16v3.1.17v3.1.18v3.1.19v3.1.20v3.1.21v3.1.23v3.1.24v3.1.25v3.1.26v3.1.27v3.1.28v3.1.29v3.1.30v3.1.31v3.1.32v3.1.33v3.1.34v3.1.35v3.1.36v3.1.37v3.1.37.1v3.1.38v3.1.39v3.1.40v3.1.41v3.1.42
3.1.43
smarty/smarty
Packagist
4.0.0 up to 4.0.3, plus listed versions
v4.0.0v4.0.1v4.0.2
4.0.3
php-smarty
Mageia:8
From an advisory covering 6 CVEs
before 4.0.4-1.mga8
4.0.4-1.mga8
smarty3
Ubuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS
before 3.1.21-1ubuntu1+esm1, plus listed versions
3.1.21-13.1.21-1ubuntu1
3.1.21-1ubuntu1+esm1
smarty3
Ubuntu:18.04:LTS
before 3.1.31+20161214.1.c7d42e4+selfpack1-3ubuntu0.1, plus listed versions
3.1.31+20161214.1.c7d42e4+selfpack1-23.1.31+20161214.1.c7d42e4+selfpack1-3
3.1.31+20161214.1.c7d42e4+selfpack1-3ubuntu0.1
smarty3
Ubuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS
before 3.1.34+20190228.1.c9f0de05+selfpack1-1ubuntu0.1~esm1, plus listed versions
3.1.33+20180830.1.3a78a21f+selfpack1-13.1.34+20190228.1.c9f0de05+selfpack1-1
3.1.34+20190228.1.c9f0de05+selfpack1-1ubuntu0.1~esm1
smarty3
Ubuntu:22.04:LTS
before 3.1.39-2ubuntu1, plus listed versions
3.1.39-2
3.1.39-2ubuntu1
smarty3
Ubuntu:18.04:LTS
From an advisory covering 6 CVEs
before 3.1.31+20161214.1.c7d42e4+selfpack1-3ubuntu0.1, plus listed versions
3.1.31+20161214.1.c7d42e4+selfpack1-23.1.31+20161214.1.c7d42e4+selfpack1-3
3.1.31+20161214.1.c7d42e4+selfpack1-3ubuntu0.1
smarty3
Ubuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS
From an advisory covering 4 CVEs
before 3.1.21-1ubuntu1+esm1, plus listed versions
3.1.21-13.1.21-1ubuntu1
3.1.21-1ubuntu1+esm1
smarty3
Ubuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS
From an advisory covering 4 CVEs
before 3.1.34+20190228.1.c9f0de05+selfpack1-1ubuntu0.1~esm1, plus listed versions
3.1.33+20180830.1.3a78a21f+selfpack1-13.1.34+20190228.1.c9f0de05+selfpack1-1
3.1.34+20190228.1.c9f0de05+selfpack1-1ubuntu0.1~esm1

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
affected, facts
first indexedCVE List, EUVD, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2021-21408 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 8.8) in Smarty, published January 10, 2022. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 2.14%, the 82nd percentile. Fixed in smarty/smarty 3.1.43.

References

Show 23 moreShow less
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