CVE-2021-42560
CVE-2021-42560 is a high-severity vulnerability in Mitre Caldera 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. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-611.
Key facts
- Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.8)
- CVSS v2: 6.5
- EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (80th percentile)
- Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
- Weakness: CWE-611
- Affected product: Mitre Caldera
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
An issue was discovered in CALDERA 2.9.0. The Debrief plugin receives base64 encoded "SVG" parameters when generating a PDF document. These SVG documents are parsed in an unsafe manner and can be leveraged for XXE attacks (e.g., File Exfiltration, Server Side Request Forgery, Out of Band Exfiltration, etc.).
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2021-42560?
- An issue was discovered in CALDERA 2.9.0. The Debrief plugin receives base64 encoded "SVG" parameters when generating a PDF document. These SVG documents are parsed in an unsafe manner and can be leveraged for XXE attacks (e.g., File Exfiltration, Server Side Request Forgery, Out of Band Exfiltration, etc.).
- How severe is CVE-2021-42560?
- CVE-2021-42560 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-2021-42560 being actively exploited?
- It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (80th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- What products are affected by CVE-2021-42560?
- CVE-2021-42560 affects Mitre Caldera. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2021-42560?
- 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-2021-42560 published?
- CVE-2021-42560 was published on 2022-01-12 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
- https://github.com/DrunkenShells/Disclosures/tree/master/CVE-2021-42560-Unsafe%20XML%20Parsing-MITRE%20Caldera
- https://github.com/mitre/caldera/releases
Affected products (1)
- cpe:2.3:a:mitre:caldera:2.9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
More vulnerabilities in Mitre Caldera
- CVE-2021-42559 — High (CVSS 8.8): An issue was discovered in CALDERA 2.8.1. It contains multiple startup "requirements" that execute commands when…
- CVE-2021-42561 — High (CVSS 8.8): An issue was discovered in CALDERA 2.8.1. When activated, the Human plugin passes the unsanitized name parameter to a…
- CVE-2020-19907 — High (CVSS 8.8): A command injection vulnerability in the sandcat plugin of Caldera 2.3.1 and earlier allows authenticated attackers to…
- CVE-2021-42562 — High (CVSS 8.1): An issue was discovered in CALDERA 2.8.1. It does not properly segregate user privileges, resulting in non-admin users…
- CVE-2022-40606 — Medium (CVSS 6.1): MITRE CALDERA before 4.1.0 allows XSS in the Operations tab and/or Debrief plugin via a crafted operation name, a…
- CVE-2022-40605 — Medium (CVSS 6.1): MITRE CALDERA before 4.1.0 allows XSS in the Operations tab and/or Debrief plugin via a crafted operation name, a…
All CVEs affecting Mitre Caldera →
Other CWE-611 (Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (XXE)) vulnerabilities
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- CVE-2015-9280 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): MailEnable before 8.60 allows XXE via an XML document in the request.aspx Options parameter.
- CVE-2018-1000838 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): autopsy version <= 4.9.0 contains a XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in CaseMetadata XML Parser that can result…
- CVE-2018-1000837 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): UML Designer version <= 8.0.0 contains a XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in XML parser for plugins that can…
- CVE-2018-1000835 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): KeePassDX version <= 2.5.0.0beta17 contains a XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in kdbx file parser that can…
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