How severe is CVE-2021-22570?

CVE-2021-22570 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2021-22570 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (84th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-22570?

CVE-2021-22570 primarily affects Google Protobuf. In total, 13 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-22570?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2021-22570 published?

CVE-2021-22570 was published on 2022-01-26 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-22570

CVE-2021-22570 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Google Protobuf with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-476.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.5)
CVSS v2: 2.1
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (84th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-476
Affected product: Google Protobuf
Published: 2022-01-26
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Nullptr dereference when a null char is present in a proto symbol. The symbol is parsed incorrectly, leading to an unchecked call into the proto file's name during generation of the resulting error message. Since the symbol is incorrectly parsed, the file is nullptr. We recommend upgrading to version 3.15.0 or greater.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-22570?: Nullptr dereference when a null char is present in a proto symbol. The symbol is parsed incorrectly, leading to an unchecked call into the proto file's name during generation of the resulting error message. Since the symbol is incorrectly parsed, the file is nullptr. We recommend upgrading to version 3.15.0 or greater.
How severe is CVE-2021-22570?: CVE-2021-22570 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-22570 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (84th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-22570?: CVE-2021-22570 primarily affects Google Protobuf. In total, 13 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-22570?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2021-22570 published?: CVE-2021-22570 was published on 2022-01-26 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (13)

cpe:2.3:a:google:protobuf:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:34:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:35:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:36:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:oracle:mysql:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:active_iq_unified_manager:-:*:*:*:*:vmware_vsphere:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:active_iq_unified_manager:-:*:*:*:*:windows:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:oncommand_insight:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:oncommand_workflow_automation:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:netapp:snapcenter:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Google Protobuf

CVE-2015-5237 — High (CVSS 8.8): protobuf allows remote authenticated attackers to cause a heap-based buffer overflow.
CVE-2024-2410 — High (CVSS 7.6): The JsonToBinaryStream() function is part of the protocol buffers C++ implementation and is used to parse JSON from a…
CVE-2026-0994 — High (CVSS 7.5): A denial-of-service (DoS) vulnerability exists in google.protobuf.json_format.ParseDict() in Python, where the…
CVE-2024-7254 — High (CVSS 7.5): Any project that parses untrusted Protocol Buffers data containing an arbitrary number of nested groups / series of…

All CVEs affecting Google Protobuf →

Other CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference) vulnerabilities

CVE-2022-36648 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The hardware emulation in the of_dpa_cmd_add_l2_flood of rocker device model in QEMU, as used in 7.0.0 and earlier,…
CVE-2020-14500 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Secomea GateManager all versions prior to 9.2c, An attacker can send a negative value and overwrite arbitrary data.
CVE-2010-2495 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The pppol2tp_xmit function in drivers/net/pppol2tp.c in the L2TP implementation in the Linux kernel before 2.6.34 does…
CVE-2026-46195 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: smb: client: validate dacloffset before building…
CVE-2026-31657 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: batman-adv: hold claim backbone gateways by…
CVE-2026-31436 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: dmaengine: idxd: fix possible wrong descriptor…

Browse all CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference) vulnerabilities →

Threat intelligence

Threat-intel indicators referencing this CVE:

124.223.78.215 (ipv4-addr)
85.95.166.40 (ipv4-addr)
43.155.134.4 (ipv4-addr)
121.229.191.90 (ipv4-addr)
132.148.155.138 (ipv4-addr)
180.76.184.79 (ipv4-addr)
14.29.214.161 (ipv4-addr)
14.18.113.233 (ipv4-addr)