CVE-2021-43297 — dubbo
CRITICALCVE-2021-43297 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in org.apache.dubbo:dubbo. 4 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.apache.dubbo:dubbo — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Dubbo
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2021-43297 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 385,386 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the 10–50% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
Real-World Exposure
org.apache.dubbo:dubbo☕org.apache.dubbo:dubbo☕org.apache.dubbo:dubboReal-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
A deserialization vulnerability existed in dubbo hessian-lite 3.2.11 and its earlier versions, which could lead to malicious code execution. Most Dubbo users use Hessian2 as the default serialization/deserialization protocol, during Hessian catch unexpected exceptions, Hessian will log out some imformation for users, which may cause remote command execution. This issue affects Apache Dubbo Apache Dubbo 2.6.x versions prior to 2.6.12; Apache Dubbo 2.7.x versions prior to 2.7.15; Apache Dubbo 3.0.x versions prior to 3.0.5.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.dubbo:dubbo | ≥ 2.6.0&&< 2.6.12 | 2.6.12org.apache.dubbo:dubbo:2.6.12 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.dubbo:dubbo | ≥ 2.7.0&&< 2.7.15 | 2.7.15org.apache.dubbo:dubbo:2.7.15 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.dubbo:dubbo | ≥ 3.0.0&&< 3.0.5 | 3.0.5org.apache.dubbo:dubbo:3.0.5 |
Affected Products
dubboapacheResearch 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 org.apache.dubbo:dubbo, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.apache.dubbo:dubbo to 2.6.12 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-43297 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Do not deserialise data from untrusted sources: where the format allows it, restrict deserialisation to an explicit allowlist of expected types, and prefer a data-only format (JSON, Protobuf) over one that can reconstruct arbitrary objects until you can upgrade.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2021-43297 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.