How severe is CVE-2021-23894?

CVE-2021-23894 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.6, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over an adjacent network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2021-23894 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-23894?

CVE-2021-23894 affects Mcafee Database Security. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-23894?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2021-23894 published?

CVE-2021-23894 was published on 2021-06-02 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-23894

CVE-2021-23894 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Mcafee Database Security with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.6. 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-502.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.6)
CVSS v2: 10.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (81st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-502
Affected product: Mcafee Database Security
Published: 2021-06-02
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability in McAfee Database Security (DBSec) prior to 4.8.2 allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to create a reverse shell with administrator privileges on the DBSec server via carefully constructed Java serialized object sent to the DBSec server.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-23894?: Deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability in McAfee Database Security (DBSec) prior to 4.8.2 allows a remote unauthenticated attacker to create a reverse shell with administrator privileges on the DBSec server via carefully constructed Java serialized object sent to the DBSec server.
How severe is CVE-2021-23894?: CVE-2021-23894 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.6, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over an adjacent network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-23894 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-23894?: CVE-2021-23894 affects Mcafee Database Security. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-23894?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2021-23894 published?: CVE-2021-23894 was published on 2021-06-02 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index?page=content&id=SB10359

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:mcafee:database_security:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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