CVE-2021-3980 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) CWE-359 vulnerability in elgg/elgg. 1 public exploit reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2021-3980 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Information exposure in elgg
Real-World Exposure
elgg/elgg🐘elgg/elggReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Packagist packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
elgg is vulnerable to Exposure of Private Personal Information to an Unauthorized Actor
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐘Packagist | elgg/elgg | all versions | 3.3.23 |
| 🐘Packagist | elgg/elgg | ≥ 4.0.0&&< 4.0.5 | 4.0.5 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for elgg/elgg. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update elgg/elgg to 3.3.23 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-3980 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2021-3980 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2021-3980. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2021-3980 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2021-3980 across Packagist dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.