CVE
CVE-2021-22204
ExifTool Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Improper neutralization of user data in the DjVu file format in ExifTool versions 7.44 and up allows arbitrary code execution when parsing the malicious image.
MEDIUM · CVSS 6.8
⚠ CISA KEV
EPSS 0.92782
Act now
- Listed on CISA KEV (known exploited in the wild)
- SSVC exploitation status: active
- EPSS ≥ 0.50 - high probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
- EPSS percentile: top 0% of all CVEs by exploitation likelihood
- Reliable Metasploit module available (rank: Excellent) - weaponised exploit code
- Public exploit or PoC is available
Sigma rules0
YARA rules0
Look this up elsewhere - one-click external pivots
▸
How to read a CVE - triage first, then detect and patch
This page is every public fact about CVE-2021-22204, cross-linked. Its job is to answer one question fast - does this need my attention now? - and then hand you the two things you do about it. Here is how an analyst reads it.
Triage: should I act now? Four signals, and they are not interchangeable:
CVSSseverity - how bad it is IF exploited, 0-10. A high CVSS alone is not urgency; a flaw can be a perfect 10 and never actually be attacked.
EPSSprobability - a model’s estimate of the chance it is exploited in the next 30 days, 0-1. This is the “will it actually happen” signal.
CISA KEVconfirmed - it is being exploited in the wild right now. The strongest signal on the page; KEV beats any score.
Weaponisedavailability - public exploits / PoCs, and especially Metasploit modules rated Excellent / Great. Reliable, packaged exploit code means low-skill attackers can use it today.
How they combine: KEV, or a dependable Metasploit module, means patch now regardless of CVSS. High CVSS + low EPSS + no exploit is real but not an emergency - schedule it. Low CVSS but KEV-listed still gets patched now. The verdict above already weighed these for you; this is how it got there.
Then what - two workflows:
Detectwhen you cannot patch today, follow this CVE to the ATT&CK techniques it enables, then Build a SIEM detection (the green button) - author a rule, test it in Atomic, deploy it. That buys visibility while the patch waits.
PatchAffected products / packages tell you if you are exposed; Fixed versions by distribution and Vendor advisories give the exact version that closes it.
Reading order for the panels below: verdict + badges, then Public exploits / Metasploit (is it weaponised), then ATT&CK techniques + Sigma / IDS rules (can I detect it), then Affected products / packages + Fixed versions (am I exposed, what patches it), then Threat actors / IOCs (who uses it), then Scoring & timeline / references (the evidence).
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Required Remediation
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
◆
ATT&CK techniques
5Techniques this CVE enables - linked via CWECAPECATT&CK. High◆ = named directly in ATT&CK or Nuclei templates.
T1027.006 · HTML Smuggling T1027.009 · Embedded Payloads T1564.009 · Resource Forking T1059 · Command and Scripting Interpreter T1190 · Exploit Public-Facing Application
▤ Build a SIEM detection for these techniques
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CAPEC attack patterns
3Attack patterns this CVE enables - the bridge from weakness to ATT&CK technique.
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Weakness Classification
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Affected Products & Versions
3exiftool project exiftool>= 7.44 and < 12.24
debian linuxall versions
fedoraproject fedoraall versions
▤
Affected Packages
4Language-ecosystem packages (from OSV) tied to this CVE, with the version that fixes it - the dependency-level detail NVD doesn’t carry.
Ubuntu:18.04:LTS
libimage-exiftool-perl
fixed in 10.80-1ubuntu0.1
Ubuntu:20.04:LTS
libimage-exiftool-perl
fixed in 11.88-1ubuntu0.1
Ubuntu:22.04:LTS
libimage-exiftool-perl
fixed in 12.16+dfsg-2
Ubuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS
libimage-exiftool-perl
fixed in 10.10-1ubuntu0.1~esm1
⚠
Public Exploits & PoCs
21These PoC and exploit links come from public sources and are not verified to be safe or functional. Review the code before running anything, and treat unverified entries as untrusted.
pocpacketstormsecurity.com · GitLab-Unauthenticated-Remote-ExifTool-Command-Injection....packetstormsecurity.com
📦
Fixed versions by distribution
3The package version that resolves this CVE on each Linux distribution, from the vendor’s published security data. fixed in shows a patched version exists; open means the package is listed as affected with no fix yet.
alpine edgeperl-image-exiftool fixed in 12.24-r0
alpine v3.19perl-image-exiftool fixed in 12.24-r0
alpine v3.20perl-image-exiftool fixed in 12.24-r0
⚙
Metasploit Modules
2Weaponised exploit modules in the Metasploit Framework. Rank is Metasploit’s reliability rating - Excellent/Great/Good means dependable, real-world exploit code (a strong “act now” signal), not a fragile PoC.
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Scoring & Timeline
6.8
MEDIUM · CVSS v3.1 · [email protected]
Attack Vector
Network
Adjacent
Local
Physical
Attack Complexity
Low
High
Privileges Required
None
Low
High
User Interaction
None
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Changed
Confidentiality
None
Low
High
Integrity
None
Low
High
Availability
None
Low
High
SSVC triage · cisa-vulnrichment
Exploitation
active
Automatable
no
Technical impact
partial
SSVC asks the questions that actually drive patch urgency: is it being exploited, can attacks be automated, and how total is the impact.
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Vendor Advisories
4🔗
References & Sources
10Source URLs (vendor pages, mailing lists, write-ups). Exploit/PoC links are in their own section above to avoid duplication.
https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cves/-/blob/master/2021/CVE-2021-22204.jsonThird Party Advisory