CVE-2021-36162
CVE-2021-36162 is a high-severity vulnerability in Apache Dubbo with a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low.
Key facts
- Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.8)
- CVSS v2: 6.5
- EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (79th percentile)
- Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
- Affected product: Apache Dubbo
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
Apache Dubbo supports various rules to support configuration override or traffic routing (called routing in Dubbo). These rules are loaded into the configuration center (eg: Zookeeper, Nacos, ...) and retrieved by the customers when making a request in order to find the right endpoint. When parsing these YAML rules, Dubbo customers will use SnakeYAML library to load the rules which by default will enable calling arbitrary constructors. An attacker with access to the configuration center he will be able to poison the rule so when retrieved by the consumers, it will get RCE on all of them. This was fixed in Dubbo 2.7.13, 3.0.2
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2021-36162?
- Apache Dubbo supports various rules to support configuration override or traffic routing (called routing in Dubbo). These rules are loaded into the configuration center (eg: Zookeeper, Nacos, ...) and retrieved by the customers when making a request in order to find the right endpoint. When parsing these YAML rules, Dubbo customers will use SnakeYAML library to load the rules which by default will enable calling arbitrary constructors. An attacker with access to the configuration center he will be able to poison the rule so when retrieved by the consumers, it will get RCE on all of them. This was fixed in Dubbo 2.7.13, 3.0.2
- How severe is CVE-2021-36162?
- CVE-2021-36162 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
- Is CVE-2021-36162 being actively exploited?
- It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (79th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- What products are affected by CVE-2021-36162?
- CVE-2021-36162 affects Apache Dubbo. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2021-36162?
- Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
- When was CVE-2021-36162 published?
- CVE-2021-36162 was published on 2021-09-07 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
Affected products (1)
- cpe:2.3:a:apache:dubbo:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
More vulnerabilities in Apache Dubbo
- CVE-2023-46279 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in Apache Dubbo.This issue only affects Apache Dubbo 3.1.5. Users are…
- CVE-2023-29234 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): A deserialization vulnerability existed when decode a malicious package.This issue affects Apache Dubbo: from 3.1.0…
- CVE-2021-32824 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Apache Dubbo is a java based, open source RPC framework. Versions prior to 2.6.10 and 2.7.10 are vulnerable to pre-auth…
- CVE-2022-39198 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): A deserialization vulnerability existed in dubbo hessian-lite 3.2.12 and its earlier versions, which could lead to…
- CVE-2021-43297 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): A deserialization vulnerability existed in dubbo hessian-lite 3.2.11 and its earlier versions, which could lead to…
- CVE-2021-37579 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The Dubbo Provider will check the incoming request and the corresponding serialization type of this request meet the…