CVE-2021-41278 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.7) Broken Cryptographic Algorithm vulnerability in github.com/edgexfoundry/app-functions-sdk-go/v2. A fix is available for github.com/edgexfoundry/app-functions-sdk-go/v2 — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Broken encryption in EdgeX Foundry
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2021-41278 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 378,156 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
github.com/edgexfoundry/app-functions-sdk-go/v2🐹github.com/edgexfoundry/app-functions-sdk-go🐹github.com/edgexfoundry/app-service-configurableReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Summary
Broken encryption in app-functions-sdk “AES” transform in EdgeX Foundry releases prior to Jakarta allows attackers to decrypt messages via unspecified vectors.
Detailed Description
The app-functions-sdk exports an “aes” transform that user scripts can optionally call to encrypt data in the processing pipeline. No decrypt function is provided. Encryption is not enabled by default, but if used, the level of protection may be less than the user may expects due to a broken implementation in https://github.com/edgexfoundry/app-functions-sdk-go/blob/v1.0.0/pkg/transforms/encryption.go
Version v2.1.0 (EdgeX Foundry Jakarta release and later) of app-functions-sdk-go/v2 deprecates the “aes” transform and provides an improved “aes256” transform in its place. The broken implementation will remain in a deprecated state until it is removed in the next EdgeX major release to avoid breakage of existing software that depends on the broken implementation.
Impact
As the broken transform is a library function that is not invoked by default, users who do not use the AES transform in their processing pipelines are unaffected. Those that are affected are urged to upgrade to the Jakarta EdgeX release and modify processing pipelines to use the new "aes256" transform.
Vulnerable go modules
- github.com/edgexfoundry/app-functions-sdk-go < v2.1.0
- github.com/edgexfoundry/app-functions-sdk-go/v2 < v2.1.0
- github.com/edgexfoundry/app-service-configurable < v2.1.0
Vulnerable containers
- https://hub.docker.com/r/edgexfoundry/app-service-configurable >= 2.0.0 < v2.1.0
- https://hub.docker.com/r/edgexfoundry/app-service-configurable-arm64 >= 2.0.0 < 2.1.0
- https://hub.docker.com/r/edgexfoundry/docker-app-service-configurable < 2.0.0
- https://hub.docker.com/r/edgexfoundry/docker-app-service-configurable-arm64 < 2.0.0
Vulnerable Snaps
- https://snapcraft.io/edgex-app-service-configurable >= 2.0.0 < 2.1.0
Patches
Upgrade to 2.1.0 version of app-functions-sdk-go/v2, app-service-configurable, and related docker containers shown below and modify user scripts to use the new "aes256" transform in place of the existing "aes" transform.
Patched go modules
- github.com/edgexfoundry/app-functions-sdk-go/v2 v2.1.0
- github.com/edgexfoundry/app-service-configurable v2.1.0
Modification of user scripts is necessary for full remediation.
Patched containers
- https://hub.docker.com/r/edgexfoundry/app-service-configurable:>=2.1.0
- https://hub.docker.com/r/edgexfoundry/app-service-configurable-arm64:>=2.1.0
Modification of user scripts is necessary for full remediation.
Patched Snaps
Modification of user scripts is necessary for full remediation.
Workarounds
If unable to upgrade, change the processing pipeline to use an HTTPS (TLS 1.3) endpoint to export and skip encryption.
References
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:
- Contact us in the Slack #security channel
- Open an issue in edgex-go
- Email us at [email protected]
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/edgexfoundry/app-functions-sdk-go/v2 | all versions | 2.1.0go get github.com/edgexfoundry/app-functions-sdk-go/v2@v2.1.0 |
| 🐹Go | github.com/edgexfoundry/app-functions-sdk-go | all versions | No fix |
| 🐹Go | github.com/edgexfoundry/app-service-configurable | all versions | 2.1.0go get github.com/edgexfoundry/app-service-configurable@v2.1.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/edgexfoundry/app-functions-sdk-go/v2, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/edgexfoundry/app-functions-sdk-go/v2 to 2.1.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-41278 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 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2021-41278 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2021-41278. 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-2021-41278 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2021-41278 across Go dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.