Vulnerability Report

CVE-2021-21341

RCE

Title: Xstream RCE

RCE

Proof Of Concept

PoC Available for CVE-2021-21341

CWE Category CWE-502
Published Date Mar 23, 2021
Modified Date May 23, 2025
Exploit Status Available
Score 7.5 CVSS v3.1
Exploit Probability (EPSS)
77.80%

Vulnerability Summary

CVE-2021-21341: XStream is a Java library to serialize objects to XML and back again. In XStream before version 1.4.16, there is vulnerability which may allow a remote attacker to allocate 100% CPU time on the target system depending on CPU type or parallel execution of such a payload resulting in a denial of service only by manipulating the processed input stream. No user is affected who followed the recommendation to setup XStream's security framework with a whitelist limited to the minimal required types. If you rely on XStream's default blacklist of the Security Framework, you will have to use at least version 1.4.16.

Impacted Vendors

Reference Links

http://x-stream.github.io/changes.html#1.4.16 https://github.com/x-stream/xstream/security/advisories/GHSA-2p3x-qw9c-25hh https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r8244fd0831db894d5e89911ded9c72196d395a90ae655414d23ed0dd%40%3Cusers.activemq.apache.org%3E https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r9ac71b047767205aa22e3a08cb33f3e0586de6b2fac48b425c6e16b0%40%3Cdev.jmeter.apache.org%3E https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/04/msg00002.html https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/22KVR6B5IZP3BGQ3HPWIO2FWWCKT3DHP/ https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/PVPHZA7VW2RRSDCOIPP2W6O5ND254TU7/ https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QGXIU3YDPG6OGTDHMBLAFN7BPBERXREB/ https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210430-0002/ https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-5004 https://www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2022.html https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.html https://x-stream.github.io/CVE-2021-21341.html https://x-stream.github.io/security.html#workaround http://x-stream.github.io/changes.html#1.4.16 https://github.com/x-stream/xstream/security/advisories/GHSA-2p3x-qw9c-25hh https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r8244fd0831db894d5e89911ded9c72196d395a90ae655414d23ed0dd%40%3Cusers.activemq.apache.org%3E https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r9ac71b047767205aa22e3a08cb33f3e0586de6b2fac48b425c6e16b0%40%3Cdev.jmeter.apache.org%3E https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/04/msg00002.html https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/22KVR6B5IZP3BGQ3HPWIO2FWWCKT3DHP/ https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/PVPHZA7VW2RRSDCOIPP2W6O5ND254TU7/ https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QGXIU3YDPG6OGTDHMBLAFN7BPBERXREB/ https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210430-0002/ https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-5004 https://www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2022.html https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.html https://x-stream.github.io/CVE-2021-21341.html https://x-stream.github.io/security.html#workaround
CVSS v3.1
Source Entity [email protected]
Severity HIGH
7.5
Attack Vector
NETWORK
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
N/A
Interaction
NONE
Confidentiality
N/A
Integrity
N/A
Availability
N/A
Scope
UNCHANGED
RAW VECTOR CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CVSS v3.1
Source Entity [email protected]
Severity HIGH
7.5
Attack Vector
NETWORK
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
N/A
Interaction
NONE
Confidentiality
N/A
Integrity
N/A
Availability
N/A
Scope
UNCHANGED
RAW VECTOR CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CVSS v2.0
Source Entity [email protected]
Severity HIGH
7.1
Access Vector
N/A
Authentication
N/A
RAW VECTOR AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C

Associated Attack Patterns (CAPEC)

Total: Patterns

CVE-2021-21341 Exploits & PoCs (Proof Of Concept)

GitHub https://github.com/s-index/CVE-2021-21341
View Code
GitHub https://github.com/Mani1325/ka-cve-2021-21341
View Code
MODIFIED

Vulnerability data or affected products updated.

PUBLISHED

Vulnerability first announced in NVD.

Attack Vector Matrix

Access Vector NETWORK
Complexity LOW
Privileges N/A
Interaction NONE
CVSS Vector String CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected Stack

No specific products linked.