CVE-2021-41266
High PUBLISHEDAuthentication bypass issue in the Operator Console
Not yet in CISA KEV
Recommended Action
Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.
At a Glance
Minio console is a graphical user interface for the for MinIO operator. Minio itself is a multi-cloud object storage project. Affected versions are subject to an authentication bypass issue in the Operator Console when an external IDP is enabled. All users on release v0.12.2 and before are affected and are advised to update to 0.12.3 or newer. Users unable to upgrade should add automountServiceAccountToken: false to the operator-console deployment in Kubernetes so no service account token will get mounted inside the pod, then disable the external identity provider authentication by unset the CONSOLE_IDP_URL, CONSOLE_IDP_CLIENT_ID, CONSOLE_IDP_SECRET and CONSOLE_IDP_CALLBACK environment variable and instead use the Kubernetes service account token.
- CVE Published
- Nov 15, 2021
- Exploitation Reported
- Jul 06, 2025
- CVSS
- 8.6 High
- EPSS
- —
Affected Versions
| Vendor | Product | Version | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| minio |
console
|
< 0.12.3 |
Affected |
CVE References
- GitHub — minio/console github.com · CVE Record https://github.com/minio/console/security/advisories/GHSA-4999-659w-mq36
- GitHub — minio/console github.com · CVE Record https://github.com/minio/console/pull/1217
Recommended Actions
- Prioritize remediation. Validate affected assets and apply vendor fixes on an accelerated timeline.
- Check enrichment artifacts for scanner coverage and available PoCs before rolling remediation validation.
- Use the Pro API to automate enrichment, telemetry, and workflow delivery for VM, SOC, and CTI pipelines.
Known Exploited Vulnerability Sources
Catalogues that list this CVE as a known exploited vulnerability.
Per-source evidence links for KEV attestations are available through the KEVIntel Pro API.
Learn about Pro API access| Source | Added |
|---|---|
| The Shadowserver First | 2025-07-06 00:00 UTC |
Scanner Artifacts
Nuclei and Metasploit references linked to this CVE.
| Scanner | Reference | Detected |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclei | https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2021/CVE-2021-41266.yaml | Apr 25, 2025 |
Virtual Patch
Compensating WAF rules to help reduce exposure to this CVE. Rule content and deployable vendor exports are available with KEVIntel Enterprise.
KEVIntel does not currently have a virtual patch for this CVE. When available, KEVIntel virtual patches ship as deployable ModSecurity, Cloudflare, and AWS WAF rules.
Enterprise feature. Virtual patch rule content and deployable vendor exports (ModSecurity, Cloudflare, AWS WAF) are available to KEVIntel Enterprise users.
CVSS Scores
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L
Exploitation Status
Exploited in the wild
Recorded 2025-07-06 00:00:00 UTC · The Shadowserver
Proof of concept available
Recorded 2026-06-12 14:20:24 UTC · Nuclei Templates
Weaknesses (CWE)
-
Missing Authentication for Critical Function
Scanner Integrations
| Scanner | Reference | Detected |
|---|---|---|
| Nuclei | https://github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates/blob/main/http/cves/2021/CVE-2021-41266.yaml | Apr 25, 2025 |
Potential Proof of Concepts
These PoCs are unverified and could contain malware. Use at your own risk.
nuclei · Created Unknown
Timeline
Key exploitation, disclosure, scanner coverage, and KEV attestation events for this CVE.
-
14:20 UTC about 1 month ago14:20 UTC · about 1 month ago
Public PoC available
Public proof-of-concept code published
-
00:00 UTC about 1 year ago00:00 UTC · about 1 year ago
Added to KEVIntel KEV Feed
High-confidence, third-party attested exploitation
-
00:00 UTC about 1 year ago00:00 UTC · about 1 year ago
Nuclei template available
Scanner coverage available
-
20:20 UTC over 4 years ago20:20 UTC · over 4 years ago
CVE published
Vulnerability disclosed publicly
-
00:00 UTC almost 5 years ago00:00 UTC · almost 5 years ago
CVE ID reserved
Identifier reserved by the CNA
Automate This Intelligence with the Pro API
Confidence scoring, exploit status, sensor telemetry, PoCs, scanner integrations, mentions, and tags are available programmatically for VM, SOC, and CTI workflows.
Pro API Example
GET /api/v2/pro/kevs/CVE-2021-41266
{
"cve_id": "CVE-2021-41266",
"title": "Authentication bypass issue in the Operator Console",
"affected_vendor": "minio",
"affected_product": "console",
"affected_versions": [
{ "vendor": "...", "product": "...", "status": "affected", "display_label": "..." }
],
"confidence": "High",
"cvss_score": 8.6,
"epss_score": null,
"exploit_status": {
"exploited_in_the_wild": true,
"active_exploitation_observed": false
},
"sensor_telemetry": { "...": "Pro API fields" },
"proof_of_concepts": [ "..." ],
"scanner_integrations": [ "..." ]
}