HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2021-42169
CRITICAL

CVE-2021-42169

CWE-89Published: October 22, 2021· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

The Simple Payroll System with Dynamic Tax Bracket in PHP using SQLite Free Source Code (by: oretnom23 ) is vulnerable from remote SQL-Injection-Bypass-Authentication for the admin account. The parameter (username) from the login form is not protected correctly and there is no security and escaping from malicious payloads.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2021-42169 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.8.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-89): SQL injection vulnerabilities allow attackers to manipulate database queries, potentially exposing or modifying sensitive data.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

simple_payroll_system_with_dynamic_tax_bracket_project1 product(s)
simple payroll system with dynamic tax bracket
Source: NVD CPE · 1 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
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Official Patches & Advisories

ADVISORYhttps://github.com/nu11secur1ty/CVE-nu11secur1ty/tree/main/vendors/oretnom23/CVE-nu11-21-100521
ADVISORYhttps://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/50403
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/nu11secur1ty/CVE-nu11secur1ty/tree/main/vendors/oretnom23/CVE-nu11-21-100521
ADVISORYhttps://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/50403

All References (4)

→
https://github.com/nu11secur1ty/CVE-nu11secur1ty/tree/main/vendors/oretnom23/CVE-nu11-21-100521Exploit · Third Party Advisory
→
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/50403Exploit · Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
→
https://github.com/nu11secur1ty/CVE-nu11secur1ty/tree/main/vendors/oretnom23/CVE-nu11-21-100521Exploit · Third Party Advisory
→
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/50403Exploit · Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2021-42169
CVSS Score9.8 / 10
SeverityCRITICAL
WeaknessCWE-89
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedOct 22, 2021

Related CVEs (CWE-89)

CVE-2008-0735
10.0
CVE-2024-13152
10.0
CVE-2021-42313
10.0
CVE-2019-7003
10.0
CVE-2021-42311
10.0
CVE-2025-22954
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2021-42169 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWatch. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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