Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Vault versions 1.4.0 through 1.7.3 could create an Integrated Storage database file with filesystem permissions that were too broad. If local users or processes could read that file, sensitive Vault data could be exposed. The public sources name version 1.8.0 as the fix.
Executive priority
Prioritize affected Vault systems because Vault stores sensitive secrets. Urgency is highest on shared or weakly controlled hosts. There is no sourced evidence of active exploitation in the provided bundle.
Technical view
The flaw affects HashiCorp Vault and Vault Enterprise when using Integrated Storage. The issue is improper initialization of an underlying database file with overly permissive filesystem permissions. Public metadata does not provide CVSS, CWE, exact permission values, or confirmed exploit details.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where affected Vault versions used Integrated Storage on shared hosts, weakly isolated servers, or environments with broad local account or process access.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or confirmed active exploitation. The realistic concern is local filesystem disclosure, not a remotely described exploit path.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to public advisory metadata and linked vendor advisories. Validate affected version range, storage backend use, file permissions, and local access paths before assigning incident severity.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade Vault or Vault Enterprise to 1.8.0 or later.
- Review HashiCorp advisory HCSEC-2021-20 for vendor-specific guidance.
- Restrict host-level access to Vault data directories.
- Assess whether exposed local users or processes could read Vault storage files.
- Consider secret rotation if file exposure is confirmed.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Vault and Vault Enterprise versions across environments.
- Confirm whether Integrated Storage is enabled on affected versions.
- Review permissions on Vault Integrated Storage database files.
- Verify upgraded nodes no longer create overly broad file permissions.
- Check host access history if exposure is suspected.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
Database behavior lookup
The CVE wording references database injection or access, so collection and exfiltration review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-38553 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://discuss.hashicorp.com/t/hcsec-2021-20-vault-s-integrated-storage-backend-database-file-may-have-excessively-broad-permissions/28168CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- GLSA-202207-01CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_GENTOO
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.