How severe is CVE-2021-43466?

CVE-2021-43466 has a CVSS score of 9.8/10, rated CRITICAL. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2021-43466?

CVE-2021-43466 affects the following packages: org.thymeleaf:thymeleaf-spring5 (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2021-43466?

Update org.thymeleaf:thymeleaf-spring5 to 3.0.13.RELEASE or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-43466 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2021-43466 in my Maven dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.thymeleaf:thymeleaf-spring5. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.

How do I mitigate CVE-2021-43466 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

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 does O3 Security protect against CVE-2021-43466?

O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2021-43466 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.

Is CVE-2021-43466 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 1 known exploit references for CVE-2021-43466, including 1 in-the-wild exploitation 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-2021-43466?

CVE-2021-43466 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 3.9%, placing it in the 89th 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.

When was CVE-2021-43466 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2021-43466 was published on November 9, 2021 and was last updated on March 14, 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

CVE-2021-43466

CRITICAL

Template injection in thymeleaf-spring5

Also known asGHSA-qcj6-jqrg-4wp2

Published

Nov 9, 2021

Updated

Mar 14, 2026

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

1 known

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

3.9%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk89th percentile-0.73%

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.

Blast Radius

1 pkg affected

☕org.thymeleaf:thymeleaf-spring5

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

In the thymeleaf-spring5:3.0.12 component, thymeleaf combined with specific scenarios in template injection may lead to remote code execution.

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.thymeleaf:thymeleaf-spring5`	all versions	3.0.13.RELEASE

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.

In the thymeleaf-spring5:3.0.12 component, thymeleaf combined with speci…

gitee.comNVDNov 2021

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.thymeleaf:thymeleaf-spring5. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update org.thymeleaf:thymeleaf-spring5 to 3.0.13.RELEASE or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-43466 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 pinpoints whether CVE-2021-43466 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.

Tailored to CVE-2021-43466. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.

Frequently Asked Questions

In the thymeleaf-spring5:3.0.12 component, thymeleaf combined with specific scenarios in template injection may lead to remote code execution.

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2021-43466 in your dependencies?

O3 detects CVE-2021-43466 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works