How severe is CVE-2021-32563?

CVE-2021-32563 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2021-32563 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (87th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-32563?

CVE-2021-32563 affects Xfce Thunar. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-32563?

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-2021-32563 published?

CVE-2021-32563 was published on 2021-05-11 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-32563

CVE-2021-32563 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Xfce Thunar with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. 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-913.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (87th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-913
Affected product: Xfce Thunar
Published: 2021-05-11
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

An issue was discovered in Thunar before 4.16.7 and 4.17.x before 4.17.2. When called with a regular file as a command-line argument, it delegates to a different program (based on the file type) without user confirmation. This could be used to achieve code execution.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-32563?: An issue was discovered in Thunar before 4.16.7 and 4.17.x before 4.17.2. When called with a regular file as a command-line argument, it delegates to a different program (based on the file type) without user confirmation. This could be used to achieve code execution.
How severe is CVE-2021-32563?: CVE-2021-32563 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-32563 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (87th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-32563?: CVE-2021-32563 affects Xfce Thunar. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-32563?: 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-2021-32563 published?: CVE-2021-32563 was published on 2021-05-11 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:xfce:thunar:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Xfce Thunar

CVE-2011-1588 — High (CVSS 7.8): Thunar before 1.3.1 could crash when copy and pasting a file name with % format characters due to a format string error.
CVE-2018-18398 — Medium (CVSS 4.7): Xfce Thunar 1.6.15, when Xfce 4.12 is used, mishandles the IBus-Unikey input method for file searches within File…

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