CVE-2021-29441 is an authentication bypass vulnerability in Alibaba Nacos affecting versions prior to 1.4.1 when built-in authentication is enabled. Nacos relies on the AuthFilter servlet filter to enforce authentication, but the filter contains a backdoor-like trust mechanism intended for Nacos server-to-server requests. That mechanism can be triggered solely through a spoofable User-Agent header, allowing an external requester to bypass authentication checks without valid credentials. Because the trust decision is based on attacker-controlled HTTP input rather than a cryptographically verifiable server identity, an unauthenticated attacker can reach privileged administrative functionality exposed by Nacos.
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1 valid exploit after Mallory filtered fakes, detection scripts, and README-only repos.
This repository is a small standalone Python proof-of-concept/operational exploit for CVE-2021-29441, an authentication bypass in Alibaba Nacos before 1.4.1. The repo contains only two files: a README describing the vulnerability and exploit conditions, and a single executable script, exploit.py, which is the main entry point. The exploit works by creating a requests.Session and hardcoding the spoofed header 'User-Agent: Nacos-Server', which the vulnerable Nacos AuthFilter incorrectly trusts as an internal request marker. Using that bypass, the script interacts directly with Nacos administrative user-management APIs under /nacos/v1/auth/users. Capabilities implemented in code are broader than simple detection: it can check vulnerability by attempting to list users, enumerate existing users, create a new user with attacker-chosen credentials, delete an existing user, and update/reset a user's password. This makes it an operational exploit rather than a detection-only script. Repository structure is minimal and straightforward. README.md provides context, impact, affected versions, and remediation. exploit.py contains a NacosExploit class with helper request logic, individual methods for each administrative action, CLI argument parsing, and a main() routine. The script supports target selection, optional SSL verification disabling, and action flags (--check, --list, --create, --delete, --update-password). It prints status codes and optionally formats output with the rich library if installed. No reverse shell or post-exploitation implant is included; the payload is the crafted HTTP interaction itself. The primary security impact is unauthorized administrative access to Nacos user management over the network.
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21 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.
An authentication bypass vulnerability in early Nacos versions that allows spoofed server-to-server requests to bypass authentication under certain configurations.
An authentication bypass vulnerability in Nacos that allows login bypass via a forged web header; the crew used it earlier to steal configuration files and credentials from corporate Java systems.
An authentication bypass in Apache Nacos that allows unauthenticated access by sending a request with a specific User-Agent header, enabling theft of configuration files and embedded credentials.
Уязвимость обхода аутентификации в Nacos, использованная на более позднем этапе атаки для компрометации сервера Alibaba Nacos.
Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.
Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.
Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.
YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.
Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.
Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.