CVE-2021-27568 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.9) CWE-754 vulnerability in net.minidev:json-smart. 2 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for net.minidev:json-smart — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions in json-smart
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2021-27568 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,636 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
net.minidev:json-smart☕net.minidev:json-smart☕net.minidev:json-smart-mini☕net.minidev:json-smartReal-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
An issue was discovered in netplex json-smart-v1 through 2015-10-23 and json-smart-v2 through 2.4. An exception is thrown from a function, but it is not caught, as demonstrated by NumberFormatException. When it is not caught, it may cause programs using the library to crash or expose sensitive information.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | net.minidev:json-smart | all versions | 1.3.2net.minidev:json-smart:1.3.2 |
| ☕Maven | net.minidev:json-smart | ≥ 2.4.0&&< 2.4.1 | 2.4.1net.minidev:json-smart:2.4.1 |
| ☕Maven | net.minidev:json-smart-mini | all versions | 1.3.2net.minidev:json-smart-mini:1.3.2 |
| ☕Maven | net.minidev:json-smart | ≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.3.1 | 2.3.1net.minidev:json-smart:2.3.1 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for net.minidev:json-smart, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update net.minidev:json-smart to 1.3.2 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-27568 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2021-27568 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2021-27568. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat AMQ Streams 1.8.0 | json-smart | RHSA-2021:3225 |
| Red Hat Fuse 7.10 | json-smart | RHSA-2021:5134 |
| Red Hat Fuse 7.9 | see advisory | RHSA-2021:3140 |
| Red Hat Integration | see advisory | RHSA-2021:4918 |
| Red Hat Integration Camel Quarkus 2 | see advisory | RHSA-2021:4767 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2021-27568 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2021-27568 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.