CVE-2021-21367
Switchboard Bluetooth Plug for elementary OS from version 2.3.0 and before version version 2.3.5 has an incorrect authorization vulnerability. When the Bluetooth plug is running (in discoverable mode), Bluetooth service requests and pairing requests are automatically accepted, allowing physically proximate attackers to pair with a device running an affected version of switchboard-plug-bluetooth without the active consent of the user. By default, elementary OS doesn't expose any services via Bluetooth that allow information to be extracted by paired Bluetooth devices. However, if such services (i.e. contact list sharing software) have been installed, it's possible that attackers have been able to extract data from such services without authorization. If no such services have been installed, attackers are only able to pair with a device running an affected version without authorization and then play audio out of the device or possibly present a HID device (keyboard, mouse, etc...) to control the device. As such, users should check the list of trusted/paired devices and remove any that are not 100% confirmed to be genuine. This is fixed in version 2.3.5. To reduce the likelihood of this vulnerability on an unpatched version, only open the Bluetooth plug for short intervals when absolutely necessary and preferably not in crowded public areas. To mitigate the risk entirely with unpatched versions, do not open the Bluetooth plug within switchboard at all, and use a different method for pairing devices if necessary (e.g. `bluetoothctl` CLI).
EPSS 0.64% · 50.3th percentile
Risk Scores
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| elementary | switchboard_bluetooth_plug | 2.3.0 |
| fedoraproject | fedora | 32, 33 |
| elementary | switchboard-plug-bluetooth | >= 2.3.0, < 2.3.5 |
Timeline
- Mar 12, 2021 CVE Published
- Apr 14, 2021 EPSS Score
- Jun 23, 2021 EPSS Score
- Aug 26, 2021 EPSS Score
- Oct 28, 2021 EPSS Score
- Jan 6, 2022 EPSS Score
- Feb 4, 2022 EPSS Score
- Mar 4, 2022 EPSS Score
- Apr 1, 2022 EPSS Score
- May 7, 2022 EPSS Score
- Jul 9, 2022 EPSS Score
- Sep 12, 2022 EPSS Score
References
- https://github.com/elementary/switchboard-plug-bluetooth/commit/86500e645a907538abafe5225b67cc12c03e7645 fix
- FEDORA-2021-6210be0100 vendor-advisory
- https://github.com/elementary/switchboard-plug-bluetooth/releases/tag/2.3.5 fix
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/AV7WKO5SZHTF3QEMX4WZ576HRECIG6VQ/ technical
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/O7TCGM4B45VLUJDCE5PHFYA5KBNHD4RA/ technical
- https://github.com/elementary/switchboard-plug-bluetooth/security/advisories/GHSA-5p3g-j69g-w2mq patch