CVE-2021-29505

CRITICALNVD 8.89.0
EchelonGraph scoreHIGH confidence

“▲” beside the score: it is higher than NVD's CVSS score.

Score elevated to 9.0 because EPSS predicted 77% probability of exploitation within the next 30 days (99th percentile of EPSS-scored CVEs) when EchelonGraph scored this CVE. NVD baseline CVSS 8.8 retained for reference. Confidence: see factors.

Triggered by: EPSS exploit prediction (continuous uplift above 30%)
Sources: EPSS, GitHub Security Advisory, NVD CVSS v3
Trending — 4 sources updated this weekElevated

Also known asEUVD-2021-0996 (ENISA EUVD) · GHSA-7chv-rrw6-w6fc (GitHub Security Advisories)Source: ENISA EUVD

9.0EG
EchelonGraph verdictPlan a fixRemediate within your standard update timelines (the SSVC decision on this page).
  • High exploitation likelihood — EPSS 77%
  • Public exploit or proof-of-concept code is available
CISA-KEV: Not listedEPSS PROB: 77%CVSS: 8.8Exploit: Public PoCExposed services: Not assessed

A fix is available — apply it.

XStream is software for serializing Java objects to XML and back again. A vulnerability in XStream versions prior to 1.4.17 may allow a remote attacker has sufficient rights to execute commands of the host only by manipulating the processed input stream. No user who followed the recommendation to setup XStream's security framework with a whitelist limited to the minimal required types is affected. The vulnerability is patched in version 1.4.17.

CVSS v3
8.8
EG Score
9.0CRITICALhigh confidence
EG Risk
70
EG Risk 70/100

EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score. It fuses impact severity (EG Severity, the CVSS base score, never the KEV-floored or EPSS-lifted EG Score) with real-world exploitation and automatability, under weights EchelonGraph set by hand, so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner.

How it’s computed (value × EchelonGraph’s weight)
Severity88% × 45%
Impact severity (EG Severity): CVSS 8.8 of 10. Never the KEV-floored or EPSS-lifted EG Score.
Exploitation77% × 40%
FIRST EPSS: the 30-day exploitation probability when EchelonGraph scored this CVE.
Automatability0% × 15%
CISA's SSVC Automatable value: no (Vulnrichment).
SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph): Track at low or medium mission impact; Track* at high (mission-essential systems).
Exploitation none (CISA Vulnrichment) · Automatable no (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact total (CISA Vulnrichment). All three are CISA's SSVC values (Vulnrichment). EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE.
Action: A fix is available. Apply it within your standard update timelines.
EPSS PROB
77%
EPSS %ILE
99th
KEV
Not listed

What the EG score is made of (scorer v4.0: the three questions the 0–10 score mixes, published apart · methodology)

The EG score (9.0): severity, escalated by confirmed exploitation. This CVE's 9.0 is EPSS's lift toward 9.0 from its impact severity (EG Severity, CVSS 8.8 HIGH): a likelihood of exploitation, not impact.

EG Severity
8.8 HIGHCVSS-B, impact only: no KEV listing, EPSS or EG-KEV tier raises it.NVD CVSS v3 · CVSS v3.0 or v3.1
EG Likelihood
77% within 30 daysSource: FIRST EPSS (model v2026.06.15, score date 2026-11-01). FIRST's exploitation probability, not an EchelonGraph model.
Confirmed exploitation
None on record (CISA KEV, EG-KEV Tier 1)Reported apart from the likelihood: an observed fact, not a probability.
EG Priority
SSVC Track at medium mission impactTrack at low or medium mission impact; Track* at high (mission-essential systems).CISA BOD 26-04: 14 days if the affected system is publicly exposed; Fix on system upgrade if it is not.Each input and its source, and whom BOD 26-04 binds: the SSVC and BOD 26-04 blocks below.

SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph)Track at low or medium mission impact; Track* at high (mission-essential systems).

A fix is available. Apply it within your standard update timelines.

Exploitation none (CISA Vulnrichment) · Automatable no (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact total (CISA Vulnrichment). All three are CISA's SSVC values (Vulnrichment). EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE. Mission impact is CISA's Mission & Well-being decision point, and only you can judge it. CISA's table makes it high when Mission Prevalence is Essential — the vulnerable component "directly provides capabilities that constitute at least one MEF for at least one entity" (MEF: mission essential function) — or when Public Well-Being Impact is Irreversible: "multiple fatalities are likely", the cyber-physical system "is likely lost or destroyed", "extreme or serious externalities" are imposed on other parties, or social systems such as elections or the financial grid "are destabilized and potentially collapse". CISA's decision table

BOD 26-04 (CISA's remediation timeline, Table 1)14 days if the affected system is publicly exposed; Fix on system upgrade if it is not.

The score's inputs: In CISA KEV no (CISA's KEV catalog) · Automatable no (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact total (CISA Vulnrichment). Whether your system is publicly exposed is yours to answer. BOD 26-04 binds US Federal Civilian Executive Branch agencies; for anyone else it is CISA's published timeline, a reference rather than an obligation. The directive · how EchelonGraph applies it

Published

May 28, 2021

Last Modified

October 7, 2026

Advisory Details (10)

Auto-updated Oct 7, 2026
Patch available. Sources: github, github_commit.
Web page

[SECURITY] [DSA 5004-1] libxstream-java security update

https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-5004
Web page

[SECURITY] Fedora 34 Update: xstream-1.4.18-2.fc34 - package-announce - Fedora mailing-lists

https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/QGXIU3YDPG6OGTDHMBLAFN7BPBERXREB
Web page

[SECURITY] Fedora 35 Update: xstream-1.4.18-2.fc35 - package-announce - Fedora mailing-lists

https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/PVPHZA7VW2RRSDCOIPP2W6O5ND254TU7
Web page

[SECURITY] Fedora 33 Update: xstream-1.4.18-2.fc33 - package-announce - Fedora mailing-lists

https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/22KVR6B5IZP3BGQ3HPWIO2FWWCKT3DHP
Web pageMentions a patch (unverified)

[SECURITY] [DLA 2704-1] libxstream-java security update

https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/07/msg00004.html
GitHub commit

commit f0c4a8d861b6 (x-stream/xstream)

Fix landed in x-stream/xstream commit f0c4a8d861b6 — awaiting tagged release

https://github.com/x-stream/xstream/commit/f0c4a8d861b68ffc3119cfbbbd632deee624e227
GitHub commit

commit 24fac8219129 (x-stream/xstream)

Fix landed in x-stream/xstream commit 24fac8219129 — awaiting tagged release

https://github.com/x-stream/xstream/commit/24fac82191292c6ae25f94508d28b9823f83624f
GitHub advisoryMentions a patch (unverified)

XStream is vulnerable to a Remote Command Execution attack · Advisory · x-stream/xstream · GitHub

https://github.com/x-stream/xstream/security/advisories/GHSA-7chv-rrw6-w6fc

Patch Availability(4)

Vendor / EcosystemFix (by version range) / PatchReleasedSource
redhatxstream2022-07-07redhat
redhatpatch2021-11-23redhat
redhatxstream-0:1.3.1-14.el7_92021-07-12redhat
mavencom.thoughtworks.xstream:xstream @ 1.4.17 (fixes < 1.4.17)—ghsa

Patches are aggregated from vendor advisories (Red Hat, Microsoft, Cisco, GitHub) and package ecosystems (OSV, GHSA). Multiple rows for the same upstream release have been deduplicated.

Affected Packages

(6 across 6 ecosystems)
Debian:11(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libxstream-java—
  • every version up to 1.4.15-3: fixed in 1.4.15-3
—
Debian:12(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libxstream-java—
  • every version up to 1.4.15-3: fixed in 1.4.15-3
—
Debian:13(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libxstream-java—
  • every version up to 1.4.15-3: fixed in 1.4.15-3
—
Debian:14(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libxstream-java—
  • every version up to 1.4.15-3: fixed in 1.4.15-3
—
Debian:9(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libxstream-java1.4.10-1 ... 1.4.9-2+deb9u1 (7 versions)
  • every version up to 1.4.11.1-1+deb9u3: fixed in 1.4.11.1-1+deb9u3
—
Maven(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
com.thoughtworks.xstream:xstream0.1 ... 1.4.9 (41 versions)
  • every version up to 1.4.17: fixed in 1.4.17
—

Weakness Classification(3)

MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.

Additional Vendor Advisories

(1)

Vendors that published advisories for this CVE beyond the curated set above. Broader coverage but minimal per-row detail — click through for the original advisory.

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 19× in last 7d / 69× in last 30d)

Each row is a time one of our pipelines fetched, updated or re-scored this CVE. 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. An arrow marks a change the record states ("CVSS v3 → 9.1"); EPSS and GHSA rows show the values recorded at that time, not what changed (EPSS values are rounded; hover one for the exact figures). Most recent first.

Showing the most recent 97 of 166 refreshes on record for this CVE.

A repeat, a row identical to one the same pipeline wrote less than 10 seconds earlier, is not a separate refresh and is not counted. 3 repeat rows among the latest 100 are merged into the row they repeat. The 69 oldest rows on record are not shown and were not checked, so the counts can still include repeats.

  1. 2026-11-02 08:10 UTCEG score recompute
  2. 2026-11-02 08:10 UTCVendor advisory
  3. 2026-11-02 08:09 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-7chv-rrw6-w6fc · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.5
  4. 2026-11-01 09:29 UTCVendor advisory
  5. 2026-11-01 09:29 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-7chv-rrw6-w6fc · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.5
  6. 2026-11-01 08:33 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-7chv-rrw6-w6fc · GitHub severity HIGH · GitHub CVSS 7.5
  7. 2026-11-01 08:33 UTCEG score recompute
  8. 2026-10-31 10:50 UTCEG score recompute
  9. 2026-10-31 10:50 UTCVendor advisory
  10. 2026-10-30 16:29 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  11. 2026-10-30 12:11 UTCEG score recompute
  12. 2026-10-30 12:11 UTCVendor advisory
  13. 2026-10-29 16:29 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  14. 2026-10-29 13:32 UTCEG score recompute
  15. 2026-10-29 13:32 UTCVendor advisory
  16. 2026-10-28 14:53 UTCEG score recompute
  17. 2026-10-28 14:53 UTCVendor advisory
  18. 2026-10-27 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  19. 2026-10-27 15:40 UTCVendor advisory
  20. 2026-10-26 17:01 UTCEG score recompute
  21. 2026-10-26 17:01 UTCVendor advisory
  22. 2026-10-26 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  23. 2026-10-25 18:04 UTCEG score recompute
  24. 2026-10-25 18:04 UTCVendor advisory
  25. 2026-10-25 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
Show 72 more
  1. 2026-10-24 18:59 UTCEG score recompute
  2. 2026-10-24 18:59 UTCVendor advisory
  3. 2026-10-24 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  4. 2026-10-23 20:21 UTCEG score recompute
  5. 2026-10-23 20:21 UTCVendor advisory
  6. 2026-10-22 21:39 UTCEG score recompute
  7. 2026-10-22 21:39 UTCVendor advisory
  8. 2026-10-22 16:29 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  9. 2026-10-21 22:59 UTCEG score recompute
  10. 2026-10-21 22:59 UTCVendor advisory
  11. 2026-10-21 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  12. 2026-10-21 00:20 UTCEG score recompute
  13. 2026-10-21 00:20 UTCVendor advisory
  14. 2026-10-20 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  15. 2026-10-20 01:39 UTCEG score recompute
  16. 2026-10-20 01:39 UTCVendor advisory
  17. 2026-10-19 00:36 UTCEG score recompute
  18. 2026-10-19 00:36 UTCVendor advisory
  19. 2026-10-18 09:04 UTCEG score recompute
  20. 2026-10-18 01:55 UTCEG score recompute
  21. 2026-10-18 01:55 UTCVendor advisory
  22. 2026-10-17 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  23. 2026-10-17 03:15 UTCEG score recompute
  24. 2026-10-17 03:15 UTCVendor advisory
  25. 2026-10-16 04:35 UTCEG score recompute
  26. 2026-10-16 04:35 UTCVendor advisory
  27. 2026-10-15 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  28. 2026-10-15 03:03 UTCEG score recompute
  29. 2026-10-15 03:03 UTCVendor advisory
  30. 2026-10-14 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  31. 2026-10-13 23:14 UTCEG score recompute
  32. 2026-10-13 23:14 UTCVendor advisory
  33. 2026-10-12 19:20 UTCVendor advisory
  34. 2026-10-12 19:18 UTCEG score recompute
  35. 2026-10-11 23:44 UTCEG score recompute
  36. 2026-10-11 13:43 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  37. 2026-10-10 19:56 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  38. 2026-10-07 23:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  39. 2026-10-07 21:46 UTCEG score recompute▲ 0.20
  40. 2026-10-07 21:46 UTCVendor advisory
  41. 2026-10-07 21:23 UTCNVD updateCVSS v3 → 8.8
  42. 2026-10-07 20:46 UTCEG score recompute
  43. 2026-10-07 20:46 UTCVendor advisory
  44. 2026-10-06 15:14 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  45. 2026-10-03 14:22 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  46. 2026-10-02 16:22 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  47. 2026-09-30 15:34 UTCEG score recompute
  48. 2026-09-30 15:00 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  49. 2026-09-28 13:47 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  50. 2026-09-26 15:54 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  51. 2026-09-26 01:15 UTCOSV refresh
  52. 2026-09-24 14:00 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  53. 2026-09-21 20:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  54. 2026-09-18 19:23 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  55. 2026-09-17 19:23 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  56. 2026-09-16 14:05 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  57. 2026-09-13 16:43 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  58. 2026-09-12 14:57 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  59. 2026-09-06 16:31 UTCOSV refresh
  60. 2026-09-06 13:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  61. 2026-09-05 15:25 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  62. 2026-09-04 13:57 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  63. 2026-09-01 13:50 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  64. 2026-08-30 19:14 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  65. 2026-08-30 01:19 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  66. 2026-08-28 21:37 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  67. 2026-08-26 14:42 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  68. 2026-08-25 13:45 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  69. 2026-08-24 14:12 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  70. 2026-08-21 23:46 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  71. 2026-08-20 22:52 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 77% · 99th percentile
  72. 2026-08-20 02:15 UTCOSV refresh

Publicly available exploits

(2 references)

Public exploit code is referenced for this CVE (1 GitHub PoC), as is 1 Nuclei detection template. A detection template checks whether a system is affected; it is not necessarily exploit code. Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly.

  • Nucleihttp/cves/2021/CVE-2021-29505.yaml
    Published Mar 29, 2023

    XStream <1.4.17 - Remote Code Execution

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCMyBlackManba/CVE-2021-29505
    Published Jun 8, 2021

    对CVE-2021-29505进行复现,并分析学了下Xstream反序列化过程

    Open source ↗

Frequently asked(5)

What is CVE-2021-29505?
CVE-2021-29505 is a critical-severity vulnerability; its CVE record was published on May 28, 2021. XStream is software for serializing Java objects to XML and back again. A vulnerability in XStream versions prior to 1.4.17 may allow a remote attacker has sufficient rights to execute commands of the host only by manipulating the processed input stream. No user who followed the recommendation to…
When was the CVE record for CVE-2021-29505 published?
The CVE record for CVE-2021-29505 was published on May 28, 2021. That is the record's publication date; the vulnerability itself may have been made public earlier. EchelonGraph's copy of the record carries a last-modified date of October 7, 2026; the record at its source may have been updated since.
Is CVE-2021-29505 actively exploited?
CVE-2021-29505 is not currently on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. FIRST EPSS estimates a 77% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days (99th percentile of EPSS-scored CVEs).
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-29505?
CVE-2021-29505 has a CVSS v3 base score of 8.8 (NVD). EchelonGraph synthesises NVD + FIRST EPSS + GHSA into a combined EG score of 9.0 (CRITICAL).
How do I remediate CVE-2021-29505?
A fix for CVE-2021-29505 is available: update to the fixed version the vendor names in its advisory. The vendor advisories EchelonGraph has for CVE-2021-29505 are linked in the Vendor Advisories panel on this page.

Dependency Blast Radius

See which npm, PyPI, Go, and Maven packages are affected by CVE-2021-29505

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Is Your Infrastructure Affected by CVE-2021-29505?

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