Synapse is a package for Matrix homeservers written in Python 3/Twisted. Prior to version 1.47.1, Synapse instances with the media repository enabled can be tricked into downloading a file from a remote server into an arbitrary directory. No authentication is required for the affected endpoint. The last 2 directories and file name of the path are chosen randomly by Synapse and cannot be controlled by an attacker, which limits the impact. Homeservers with the media repository disabled are unaffected. Homeservers with a federation whitelist are also unaffected, since Synapse will check the remote hostname, including the trailing ../s, against the whitelist. Server administrators should upgrade to 1.47.1 or later. Server administrators using a reverse proxy could, at the expense of losing media functionality, may block the certain endpoints as a workaround. Alternatively, non-containerized deployments can be adapted to use the hardened systemd config.
CVE-2021-41281
This high-severity CVE scores 7.5 under NVD CVSS v3. EPSS exploit-prediction score not yet available (the EPSS model rescores nightly; freshly-published CVEs typically appear within 48 hours). GitHub Security Advisory data not yet ingested — confidence will rise once GHSA publishes (typical lag: hours to days for open-source ecosystem CVEs; never for infrastructure-only CVEs).
- High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.
- CVSS v3
- 7.5
- EG Score
- 7.5(low)
- EPSS
- 71.5%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
November 23, 2021
Last Modified
November 21, 2024
References (10)
- security-advisories@githubhttps://github.com/matrix-org/synapse/commit/91f2bd090
- security-advisories@githubhttps://github.com/matrix-org/synapse/releases/tag/v1.47.1
- security-advisories@githubhttps://github.com/matrix-org/synapse/security/advisories/GHSA-3hfw-x7gx-437c
- security-advisories@githubhttps://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/EU7QRE55U4IUEDLKT5IYPWL3UXMELFAS/
- security-advisories@githubhttps://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/N3WY56LCEZ4ZECLWV5KMAXF2PSMUB4F2/
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse/commit/91f2bd090
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse/releases/tag/v1.47.1
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse/security/advisories/GHSA-3hfw-x7gx-437c
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/EU7QRE55U4IUEDLKT5IYPWL3UXMELFAS/
- af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/N3WY56LCEZ4ZECLWV5KMAXF2PSMUB4F2/
Affected Packages
(1 across 1 ecosystem)
PyPI(1)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| matrix-synapse | 0.33.5 ... 1.9.1 (218 versions) | 1.47.1 | — |
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 9× in last 7d / 48× in last 30d)
Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.
- 2026-07-11 08:25 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-05-23 08:31 UTCEG score recompute
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Frequently asked(5)
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Dependency Blast Radius
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