CVE-2021-32791 | Hardcoded static IV and AAD with a reused key in AES GCM encryption in mod_auth_openidc

mod_auth_openidc is an authentication/authorization module for the Apache 2.x HTTP server that functions as an OpenID Connect Relying Party, authenticating users against an OpenID Connect Provider. In mod_auth_openidc before version 2.4.9, the AES GCM encryption in mod_auth_openidc uses a static IV and AAD. It is important to fix because this creates a static nonce and since aes-gcm is a stream cipher, this can lead to known cryptographic issues, since the same key is being reused. From 2.4.9 onwards this has been patched to use dynamic values through usage of cjose AES encryption routines.

Published: 2021-07-26 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2021-32791 is rated Moderate Risk (47.1/100): CVSS Medium severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.51%). Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2021-32791

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-05-28 0.36% 0.51% +0.15%
2 2026-05-02 0.35% 0.36% +0.01%
3 2026-01-20 — 0.35% —

Full EPSS history (33 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2021-32791

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
5.9 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
 2.2 3.6 [email protected]
5.9 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:N)
Service keeps running; no real outage angle.
 2.2 3.6 [email protected]
4.3 2.0 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:M)
Exploitation needs some favorable conditions, but not exceptional ones.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:P)
Partial confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:N)
No integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:N)
No availability impact.
 8.6 2.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2021-32791

OS Trackers for CVE-2021-32791

vendor priority summary link
debian not yet assigned CVE-2021-32791 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (libapache2-mod-auth-openidc), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2021-32791
redhat medium — https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-32791
suse medium CVE-2021-32791 severity moderate: SUSE including 7 source package names (apache2-mod_auth_openidc-2.3.8-3.15.1, apache2-mod_auth_openidc-2.3.8-lp152.5.6.1, …), 14 product×package rows across 12 product lines (SUSE Liberty Linux 8, SUSE Linux Enterprise Module for Server Applications 15 SP2, … (12 product lines)): Fixed 14. https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-32791/
ubuntu low CVE-2021-32791 low priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (libapache2-mod-auth-openidc), 15 status rows across 15 suites (bionic, focal, hirsute, impish, jammy, kinetic, lunar, mantic, noble, oracular, plucky, questing, trusty, upstream, xenial): not-affected 10, needed 2, DNE 1, ignored 1, released 1. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-32791

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2021-32791

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
openidc mod_auth_openidc < 2.4.9 cpe:2.3:a:openidc:mod_auth_openidc:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
fedoraproject fedora 33 cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:33:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
fedoraproject fedora 34 cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:34:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2021-32791

cvelogic Threat Intelligence