Each Apache Dubbo server will set a serialization id to tell the clients which serialization protocol it is working on. But for Dubbo versions before 2.7.8 or 2.6.9, an attacker can choose which serialization id the Provider will use by tampering with the byte preamble flags, aka, not following the server's instruction. This means that if a weak deserializer such as the Kryo and FST are somehow in code scope (e.g. if Kryo is somehow a part of a dependency), a remote unauthenticated attacker can tell the Provider to use the weak deserializer, and then proceed to exploit it.
CVE-2021-25641
This critical-severity CVE scores 9.8 under NVD CVSS v3. EPSS exploit probability: 17.7%, top 3% of all CVEs by exploit prediction. 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
- 9.8
- EG Score
- 9.8(medium)
- EG Risk
- 65(Track*)EG Risk 65/100SSVC: Track*
EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).
How it’s computedSeverity98% × 45%Exploitation40% × 40%Automatability30% × 15%Action: Watch closely — could escalate to Attend. - EPSS
- 96.8%
- KEV
- Not listed
Published
June 1, 2021
Last Modified
November 21, 2024
Advisory Details (1)
Auto-updated Jun 10, 2026Affected Packages
(2 across 1 ecosystem)
Maven(2)
| Package | Vulnerable range | Fixed in | Dependents |
|---|---|---|---|
| com.alibaba:dubbo | 2.5.0 ... 2.6.8 (20 versions) | 2.6.9 | — |
| org.apache.dubbo:dubbo | 2.7.0 ... 2.7.7 (9 versions) | 2.7.8 | — |
Weakness Classification(1)
MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.
Data Freshness Timeline
(refreshed 13× in last 7d / 43× 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.
- 2026-07-23 01:58 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-07-22 22:45 UTCEG score recompute
- 2026-07-22 14:06 UTCEPSS rescore
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- 2026-06-13 04:43 UTCOSV refresh
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- 2026-05-27 13:39 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-27 13:39 UTCEPSS rescore
- 2026-05-26 15:47 UTCEG score recompute
Publicly available exploits
(2 references)Working exploit code is in the public domain (2 GitHub PoCs). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.
- GitHub PoCl0n3rs/CVE-2021-25641First seen Nov 10, 2022
A Exploit Tool For CVE-2021-25641.
Open source ↗ - GitHub PoCDor-Tumarkin/CVE-2021-25641-Proof-of-ConceptFirst seen Jun 6, 2021
Apache/Alibaba Dubbo <= 2.7.3 PoC Code for CVE-2021-25641 RCE via Deserialization of Untrusted Data; Affects Versions <= 2.7.6 With Different Gadgets
Open source ↗
Related CVEs(same CWE)
Same CWE
10 shownCWE-502
- CVE-2017-20208EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2017-20207EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2017-20206EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2017-20189EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2017-10992EG 9.8EPSS 95%CRITICAL
- CVE-2013-4521EG 9.8EPSS 90%CRITICAL
- CVE-2014-1860EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2016-1000027EG 9.8EPSS 98%CRITICAL
- CVE-2014-3699EG 9.8CRITICAL
- CVE-2017-18605EG 9.8CRITICAL
Frequently asked(5)
What is CVE-2021-25641?
When was CVE-2021-25641 disclosed?
Is CVE-2021-25641 actively exploited?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-25641?
How do I remediate CVE-2021-25641?
Dependency Blast Radius
See which npm, PyPI, Go, and Maven packages are affected by CVE-2021-25641
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