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CVE

CVE-2021-22569

An issue in protobuf-java allowed the interleaving of com.google.protobuf.UnknownFieldSet fields in such a way that woul

An issue in protobuf-java allowed the interleaving of com.google.protobuf.UnknownFieldSet fields in such a way that would be processed out of order. A small malicious payload can occupy the parser for several minutes by creating large numbers of short-lived objects that cause frequent, repeated pauses. We recommend upgrading libraries beyond the vulnerable versions.

HIGH · CVSS 7.5 EPSS 0.00471
Act now
  • Public exploit or PoC is available
  • SSVC automatable: yes - attacks can be scripted at scale
  • CVSS base score ≥ 7.0
Sigma rules0 YARA rules0

Weakness Classification

Affected Packages

3
Language-ecosystem packages (from OSV) tied to this CVE, with the version that fixes it - the dependency-level detail NVD doesn’t carry.
Maven com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java HIGH fixed in 3.16.1
Maven com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin HIGH fixed in 3.18.2
RubyGems google-protobuf HIGH fixed in 3.19.2

Public Exploits & PoCs

1

Scoring & Timeline

7.5
HIGH · CVSS v3.1 · cve-coordination@google.com
View on NVD
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
Published to NVD10 Jan 2022 · 02:10 PM
CVSS VectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
SSVC triage · cisa-vulnrichment
Exploitation
poc
Automatable
yes
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.

Vendor Advisories

13
suse-csafSUSE-SU-2023:2783-2
suse-csafSUSE-SU-2023:2783-1
suse-csafSUSE-SU-2022:3922-1
🔗

References & Sources

5
Source URLs (vendor pages, mailing lists, write-ups). Exploit/PoC links are in their own section above to avoid duplication.
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