CVE-2021-21318
CWE-863Published: February 18, 2021· Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Official Description
Opencast is a free, open-source platform to support the management of educational audio and video content. In Opencast before version 9.2 there is a vulnerability in which publishing an episode with strict access rules will overwrite the currently set series access. This allows for an easy denial of access for all users without superuser privileges, effectively hiding the series. Access to series and series metadata on the search service (shown in media module and player) depends on the events published which are part of the series. Publishing an event will automatically publish a series and update access to it. Removing an event or republishing the event should do the same. Affected versions of Opencast may not update the series access or remove a published series if an event is being removed. On removal of an episode, this may lead to an access control list for series metadata with broader access rules than the merged access rules of all remaining events, or the series metadata still being available although all episodes of that series have been removed. This problem is fixed in Opencast 9.2.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2021-21318 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.
Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.
CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
Official Patches & Advisories
All References (4)
Quick Facts
Related CVEs (CWE-863)
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2021-21318 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts