`CVE-2021-21343` XStream

Affected software	XStream
Severity	7.5 High CVSS 3.1 3 scores
Fixed in	`1.4.16`
Weakness	Deserialization of untrusted data (CWE-502)
Published	23 Mar 2021
Updated	7 Oct 2026

Description

XStream is a Java library to serialize objects to XML and back again. In XStream before version 1.4.16, there is a vulnerability where the processed stream at unmarshalling time contains type information to recreate the formerly written objects. XStream creates therefore new instances based on these type information. An attacker can manipulate the processed input stream and replace or inject objects, that result in the deletion of a file on the local host. 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.

CWE-73

Exploitation status

No public exploit

No exploit has been reported in the sources we check. Published 5 years ago.

CISA KEV not listed
VulnCheck KEV not listed
CISA Vulnrichment exploitation: none
Indexed PoC none indexed
EPSS 47% chance in 30 days A model's forecast, not a report of exploitation. Higher than 99% of all scored CVEs.

Waratek protection

No exploit published

Within Waratek scope. In the sources we check, nobody has published exploit code for this CVE or reported it being exploited.

A public code fix exists.

Protection none
Action unverified
Review automated Upstream data
Record active

Decided by	Exploit code for this candidate, published in a reviewed catalogue or a GitHub repository with 5 or more stars, or in use per CISA or VulnCheck; not only a CISA verdict, a forecast, or nothing at all
Finding	This CVE is not listed in CISA KEV or VulnCheck KEV, CISA Vulnrichment records no active exploitation, no reviewed exploit catalogue carries an entry for it, and no GitHub PoC repository for it has 5 or more stars. Nobody has published exploit code worth tracing, so it is not a candidate for a rule ahead of the ones where somebody has; an upstream fix path does exist, so the remediation half of the candidacy still holds. This is a statement about what has been published, not about whether the defect is reachable or serious.
Candidate fix	https://github.com/x-stream/xstream/security/advisories/GHSA-74cv-f58x-f9wf : the maintainers' own security advisory: names the version that fixes it, so the fix is the difference between two releases

Decided by

Exploit code for this candidate, published in a reviewed catalogue or a GitHub repository with 5 or more stars, or in use per CISA or VulnCheck; not only a CISA verdict, a forecast, or nothing at all

Finding

This CVE is not listed in CISA KEV or VulnCheck KEV, CISA Vulnrichment records no active exploitation, no reviewed exploit catalogue carries an entry for it, and no GitHub PoC repository for it has 5 or more stars. Nobody has published exploit code worth tracing, so it is not a candidate for a rule ahead of the ones where somebody has; an upstream fix path does exist, so the remediation half of the candidacy still holds. This is a statement about what has been published, not about whether the defect is reachable or serious.

Candidate fix

https://github.com/x-stream/xstream/security/advisories/GHSA-74cv-f58x-f9wf : the maintainers' own security advisory: names the version that fixes it, so the fix is the difference between two releases

CVSS

7.5 HIGH v3.1 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N 3 metrics

We show the highest score from the newest CVSS version. Scores from different versions can't be compared, and the first score listed is sometimes a 0.0 placeholder.

Version Score Band Vector Assigner Type

CVSS 3.1 7.5 HIGH CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N NVD Primary published

CVSS 3.1 5.3 MEDIUM CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N security-advisories@github.com Secondary

CVSS 2.0 5.0 none AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N NVD Primary

Version	Score	Band	Vector	Assigner	Type
CVSS 3.1	7.5	HIGH	`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N`	NVD	Primary	published
CVSS 3.1	5.3	MEDIUM	`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N`	security-advisories@github.com	Secondary
CVSS 2.0	5.0	none	`AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N`	NVD	Primary

Affected software and releases

Maven packages

Affected and fixed versions, from OSV.dev

Package Introduced Fixed Last affected

com.thoughtworks.xstream:xstream 0 1.4.16 unbounded

Package	Introduced	Fixed	Last affected
`com.thoughtworks.xstream:xstream`	0	`1.4.16`	unbounded

Products and versions

16 products, 39 version entries

Source	Vendor	Product	Scheme	Affected versions
nvd	apache	activemq	generic	＜ 5.15.14 · 5.16.0 · 5.16.1
nvd	apache	jmeter	generic	＜ 5.5
osv	com.thoughtworks.xstream	xstream	generic	＜ 1.4.16
nvd	debian	debian linux	generic	9.0 · 10.0 · 11.0
nvd	fedoraproject	fedora	generic	33 · 34 · 35
nvd	netapp	oncommand insight	generic	any version
nvd	oracle	banking enterprise default management	generic	2.10.0 · 2.12.0
nvd	oracle	banking platform	generic	2.4.0 · 2.7.1 · 2.9.0 · 2.12.0
nvd	oracle	banking virtual account management	generic	14.2.0 · 14.3.0 · 14.5.0
nvd	oracle	business activity monitoring	generic	11.1.1.9.0 · 12.2.1.3.0 · 12.2.1.4.0
nvd	oracle	communications billing and revenue management elastic charging engine	generic	12.0.0.3.0
nvd	oracle	communications policy management	generic	12.5.0
nvd	oracle	communications unified inventory management	generic	7.3.2 · 7.3.4 · 7.3.5 · 7.4.0 · 7.4.1
nvd	oracle	retail xstore point of service	generic	16.0.6 · 17.0.4 · 18.0.3 · 19.0.2
nvd	oracle	webcenter portal	generic	11.1.1.9.0 · 12.2.1.3.0 · 12.2.1.4.0
nvd	xstream	xstream	generic	＜ 1.4.16

Source

Vendor

Product

Scheme

Affected versions

nvd

apache

activemq

generic

＜ 5.15.14 · 5.16.0 · 5.16.1

nvd

apache

jmeter

generic

＜ 5.5

osv

com.thoughtworks.xstream

xstream

generic

＜ 1.4.16

nvd

debian

debian linux

generic

9.0 · 10.0 · 11.0

nvd

fedoraproject

fedora

generic

33 · 34 · 35

nvd

netapp

oncommand insight

generic

any version

nvd

oracle

banking enterprise default management

generic

2.10.0 · 2.12.0

nvd

oracle

banking platform

generic

2.4.0 · 2.7.1 · 2.9.0 · 2.12.0

nvd

oracle

banking virtual account management

generic

14.2.0 · 14.3.0 · 14.5.0

nvd

oracle

business activity monitoring

generic

11.1.1.9.0 · 12.2.1.3.0 · 12.2.1.4.0

nvd

oracle

communications billing and revenue management elastic charging engine

generic

12.0.0.3.0

nvd

oracle

communications policy management

generic

12.5.0

nvd

oracle

communications unified inventory management

generic

7.3.2 · 7.3.4 · 7.3.5 · 7.4.0 · 7.4.1

nvd

oracle

retail xstore point of service

generic

16.0.6 · 17.0.4 · 18.0.3 · 19.0.2

nvd

oracle

webcenter portal

generic

11.1.1.9.0 · 12.2.1.3.0 · 12.2.1.4.0

nvd

xstream

generic

＜ 1.4.16

References

URL	Tags
https://github.com/x-stream/xstream/security/advisories/GHSA-74cv-f58x-f9wf	advisory
https://github.com/x-stream/xstream	PACKAGE
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r8244fd0831db894d5e89911ded9c72196d395a90ae655414d23ed0dd@%3Cusers.activemq.apache.org%3E	WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r9ac71b047767205aa22e3a08cb33f3e0586de6b2fac48b425c6e16b0@%3Cdev.jmeter.apache.org%3E	WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/04/msg00002.html	WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/22KVR6B5IZP3BGQ3HPWIO2FWWCKT3DHP	WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/PVPHZA7VW2RRSDCOIPP2W6O5ND254TU7	WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QGXIU3YDPG6OGTDHMBLAFN7BPBERXREB	WEB
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210430-0002	WEB
https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-5004	WEB

URL

Timeline

Published	2021-03-23	By the CVE Program.
NVD record modified	2026-10-07	NVD's own last-modified date for this record.

Published

2021-03-23

By the CVE Program.

NVD record modified

2026-10-07

NVD's own last-modified date for this record.

How VRT decided (17 of 24 rules ran)

17 of 24 rules ran. The rest didn't run because an earlier rule had already settled the CVE.

# Rule Outcome Status Detail

identity: Does this identifier describe a vulnerability at all? the first rule that matches decides

1 rejected no match CVE Program withdrawal of this identifier

scope: Is it a vulnerability Waratek protects? the first rule that matches decides

2 armr-patch-file no match An ARMR patch file on disk for this CVE

3 armr-secure-rule-file no match An ARMR security-rule template on disk for this CVE

4 manual-classification no match A researcher's recorded decision for this specific CVE

5 manual classification no match Manual classification of this CVE in the legacy dataset

6 non-java-upstream no match A root cause in non-Java code: an OS kernel, a C library, or a bundled runtime

7 oracle-component no match The defect being in a component of a tracked product the agent does not reach: JavaFX, the Java SE installer, the JInitiator browser plug-in, the native WebLogic proxy plug-in, or a native part of Oracle Application Server or Collaboration Suite (HTTP Server, Web Cache, Internet Directory, mail and calendar servers). Oracle gives these no CPE of their own and names them only in the description.

8 java-client-side no match Oracle's own risk-matrix note saying the CVE is reached only through untrusted code in the Java sandbox (applets, Web Start) or only through a client installation of Java, so a server running its own trusted code is not exposed

9 osv-maven matched In scope Maven packages: com.thoughtworks.xstream:xstream

10 cna-maven-package not reached An affected Maven artifact named by the CNA itself

11 known-cpe-product not reached An NVD CPE naming a product ARMR tracks

12 cna-cpe-product not reached A CPE the CNA published naming a tracked product. Oracle publishes these on advisory day, months before NVD.

13 oracle-advisory-family not reached A tracked product family named in Oracle's own risk matrix. CPE cannot carry a suite name, only a module.

14 cna-named-product not reached A tracked product named in words by the CVE's own CNA, on a record with no CPE yet. Apache and Eclipse publish these on advisory day, before NVD adds CPE data.

15 non-deployable-product not reached The only affected product being a sealed appliance image, where Java runs but no -javaagent can be attached

16 unmatched-product not reached No tracked product matched above, and none present at all

disposition: What do we do about one that is? every rule runs

17 patch-hint matched Mitigation candidate References include candidate fix URL (advisory tier): https://github.com/x-stream/xstream/security/advisories/GHSA-74cv-f58x-f9wf

18 open-source-maven skipped The affected package being open source on Maven, so the fix can be read

19 poc-derivable skipped An indexed exploit clearing the evidence bar to reverse-engineer, where there is no source to read

20 no-exploit skipped Nothing to build a rule from yet: no published exploit, no CISA record of exploitation and no source-level change to read

21 secure-rule-match withheld CWE-502 names deserialization, but the description identifies an unsupported deserialization library; not promoted by the CWE alone.

22 exploited-no-fix-or-poc skipped Somebody exploiting this CVE (a CISA or VulnCheck KEV listing, or a CISA verdict of active exploitation), with no fix, source code or PoC to build a rule from

23 below-action-threshold no match Severity is HIGH — only MEDIUM/LOW are deprioritized

24 no-exploit-published decided it matched No exploit published No exploit code has been published, and an upstream fix path does exist, so the remediation half of the candidacy still holds.

Products the scope rules checked

The products this CVE's record names, and whether VRT tracks each one. The scope rules decided on these.

Vendor Product Tracked CPE Source

netapp oncommand_insight not tracked cpe:2.3:a:netapp:oncommand_insight:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

apache activemq tracked cpe:2.3:a:apache:activemq:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* yaml

apache jmeter not tracked cpe:2.3:a:apache:jmeter:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

xstream xstream not tracked cpe:2.3:a:xstream:xstream:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

debian debian_linux not tracked cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

fedoraproject fedora not tracked cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:33:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

oracle banking_enterprise_default_management tracked cpe:2.3:a:oracle:banking_enterprise_default_management:2.10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* yaml

oracle banking_platform tracked cpe:2.3:a:oracle:banking_platform:2.4.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* yaml

oracle banking_virtual_account_management tracked cpe:2.3:a:oracle:banking_virtual_account_management:14.2.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* yaml

oracle business_activity_monitoring not tracked cpe:2.3:a:oracle:business_activity_monitoring:11.1.1.9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

oracle communications_billing_and_revenue_management_elastic_charging_engine tracked cpe:2.3:a:oracle:communications_billing_and_revenue_management_elastic_charging_engine:12.0.0.3.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* yaml

oracle communications_policy_management tracked cpe:2.3:a:oracle:communications_policy_management:12.5.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* yaml

oracle communications_unified_inventory_management tracked cpe:2.3:a:oracle:communications_unified_inventory_management:7.3.2:*:*:*:*:*:*:* yaml

oracle retail_xstore_point_of_service tracked cpe:2.3:a:oracle:retail_xstore_point_of_service:16.0.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:* yaml

oracle webcenter_portal tracked cpe:2.3:a:oracle:webcenter_portal:11.1.1.9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* yaml

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