How severe is CVE-2021-21380?

CVE-2021-21380 has a CVSS score of 8.8/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2021-21380?

CVE-2021-21380 affects the following packages: org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-ratings-api (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2021-21380?

Update org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-ratings-api to 12.9 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-21380 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2021-21380 in my Maven dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-ratings-api, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2021-21380 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Until you can upgrade, make sure every query built from user input uses parameterised statements or a prepared-statement API rather than string concatenation, and reduce the database account's privileges so an injected query cannot read or alter data beyond what the feature needs.

Is CVE-2021-21380 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 3 known exploit references for CVE-2021-21380, including 2 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2021-21380?

CVE-2021-21380 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 1.3%, placing it in the 71th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2021-21380?

CVE-2021-21380 is classified as SQL Injection (CWE-89). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation. This is a high-impact weakness class that often enables remote code execution or data exposure.

When was CVE-2021-21380 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2021-21380 was published on March 23, 2021 and was last updated on August 7, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

☕

☕ Maven

Not in CISA KEV

HIGH severity

CVE-2021-21380 — xwiki-platform-ratings-api

HIGH

CVE-2021-21380 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) SQL Injection vulnerability in org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-ratings-api. 3 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-ratings-api — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Rating Script Service expose XWiki to SQL injection

Also known asGHSA-79rg-7mv3-jrr5

Published

Mar 23, 2021

Updated

Aug 7, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

3 known

Exploitation data as of Oct 11, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

1.3%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs71th percentile — riskier than 71% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

CVE-2021-21380 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.

Where this sits among everything scored

Of 385,738 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.

Real-World Exposure

1 pkg affected

☕org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-ratings-api

Real-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.

Description

Impact

This issue impacts only XWiki with the Ratings API installed. The Rating Script Service expose an API to perform SQL requests without escaping the from and where search arguments. This might lead to an SQL script injection quite easily for any user having Script rights on XWiki.

Patches

The problem has been patched in XWiki 12.9RC1.

Workarounds

The only workaround besides upgrading XWiki would be to uninstall the Ratings API in XWiki from the Extension Manager.

References

https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-17662

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

Open an issue in Jira XWiki
Email us at our security mailing list

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-ratings-api`	all versions	12.9`org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-ratings-api:12.9`

Affected Products

1 product · 4 configurations

Application

xwikixwiki

≥ 6.4.1 && ≤ 12.8

1 version

6.4

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform offering runtime services for …

github.comGithubDec 2022

XWiki Platform is a generic wiki platform offering runtime services for …

github.comGithubDec 2022

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-ratings-api, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.xwiki.platform:xwiki-platform-ratings-api to 12.9 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-21380 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Until you can upgrade, make sure every query built from user input uses parameterised statements or a prepared-statement API rather than string concatenation, and reduce the database account's privileges so an injected query cannot read or alter data beyond what the feature needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

### Impact This issue impacts only XWiki with the Ratings API installed. The Rating Script Service expose an API to perform SQL requests without escaping the from and where search arguments. This might lead to an SQL script injection quite easily for any user having Script rights on XWiki. ### Patches The problem has been patched in XWiki 12.9RC1. ### Workarounds The only workaround besides upgrading XWiki would be to uninstall the Ratings API in XWiki from the Extension Manager. ### References https://jira.xwiki.org/browse/XWIKI-17662 ### For more information If you have any questions or

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

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Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.

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CVSS Score

8.8/10CVSS v3 base

Vector breakdown

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Raw vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE Classification

CWE-89SQL Injection

Weaponization

No known public exploit tooling found.

OpenSSF Scorecard

Package health score

xwiki-platform

5.6/10

Code-Review5/10

Maintained10/10

Branch-ProtectionN/A

Assessed Oct 5, 2026

Timeline

Disclosed

Mar 23, 2021

First exploit

Dec 6, 2022

Last updated

Aug 7, 2026

Identifiers

CVE-2021-21380

GHSA-79rg-7mv3-jrr5

References

Advisorygithub.com Advisorynvd.nist.gov Reportjira.xwiki.org

Related vulnerabilities

This CVE is high severity; 7 of 8 other CVEs with CWE-89 are rated as high or higher (top: critical).

CVE-2026-75513CVE-2026-79752CVE-2026-32599CVE-2026-55416CVE-2026-77635CVE-2026-71867CVE-2026-72811CVE-2026-72807Browse all CWE-89

Provenance

Sources

OSV.devNVDFIRST.org (EPSS)

Last verifiedAug 7, 2026

CVE-2021-21380 — xwiki-platform-ratings-api

EPSS Exploitation Probability

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Real-World Exposure

Description

Impact

Patches

Workarounds

References

For more information

Affected Packages

Affected Products

Detection & mitigation playbook

Detect

Fix

Workarounds

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CVE-2021-21380 in your dependencies?