CVE-2021-21341
XStream can cause a Denial of Service
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Description
XStream is a Java library to serialize objects to XML and back again. In XStream before version 1.4.16, there is vulnerability which may allow a remote attacker to allocate 100% CPU time on the target system depending on CPU type or parallel execution of such a payload resulting in a denial of service only by manipulating the processed input stream. No user is affected who followed the recommendation to setup XStream's security framework with a whitelist limited to the minimal required types. If you rely on XStream's default blacklist of the Security Framework, you will have to use at least version 1.4.16.
Official description from the CVE record, published by GitHub_M. Copyright © 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. See /security/cve/legal for the CVE license. View the record on cve.org
Key data
CVSS 3.1 High 7.5
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Attack vector: Network
The vulnerable component can be reached over a network, possibly from the Internet.
Attack complexity: Low
No special conditions are needed. The attack can be repeated at will.
Privileges required: None
No account or privileges are needed.
User interaction: None
No action from any user is needed.
Scope: Unchanged
The impact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality impact: None
No effect on the secrecy of data.
Integrity impact: None
No effect on the trustworthiness of data.
Availability impact: High
Serious or total effect on availability.
| Metric | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Attack vector | Network | The vulnerable component can be reached over a network, possibly from the Internet. |
| Attack complexity | Low | No special conditions are needed. The attack can be repeated at will. |
| Privileges required | None | No account or privileges are needed. |
| User interaction | None | No action from any user is needed. |
| Scope | Unchanged | The impact stays within the vulnerable component. |
| Confidentiality impact | None | No effect on the secrecy of data. |
| Integrity impact | None | No effect on the trustworthiness of data. |
| Availability impact | High | Serious or total effect on availability. |
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EPSS
- Score
- 0.77801 (77.8% probability)
- Percentile
- 99.6%
- Scores of
- Nov 10, 2026
- Model
- v2026.06.15
CISA assessment as of Oct 7, 2026
- Automatable
- yes
- Technical impact
- partial
Weakness (CWE)
Affected products
x-stream xstream
- affected: < 1.4.16
References
- x-stream.github.io/security.html
- x-stream.github.io/changes.html
- github.com/x-stream/xstream/security/advisories/GHSA-2p3x-q…
- x-stream.github.io/CVE-2021-21341.html
- [debian-lts-announce] 20210403 [SECURITY] [DLA 2616-1] libxstream-java security update (lists.debian.org)mailing-list
- [jmeter-dev] 20210406 [GitHub] [jmeter] sseide opened a new pull request #655: update x-stream to 1.4.16 (from 1.4.15) (lists.apache.org)mailing-list
- [activemq-users] 20210427 Release date for ActiveMQ v5.16.2 to fix CVEs (lists.apache.org)mailing-list
- security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210430-0002
- oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html
- FEDORA-2021-fbad11014a (lists.fedoraproject.org)vendor-advisory
- FEDORA-2021-d894ca87dc (lists.fedoraproject.org)vendor-advisory
- oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.html
- FEDORA-2021-5e376c0ed9 (lists.fedoraproject.org)vendor-advisory
- DSA-5004 (debian.org)vendor-advisory
- oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2022.html
Timeline
- ID reserved
- Record published
- Record last updated
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Data from the CVE Program (MITRE), CISA KEV and FIRST EPSS. CVSS is owned by FIRST and used by permission. Not affiliated with or endorsed by MITRE, CISA or FIRST. Data as of Nov 10, 2026, 19:53 UTC. Sources and licenses