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CVE-2021-22569 Moderate

CVE-2021-22569

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.

Exploit probability 1.7%
Published January 10, 2022
Required by Not available
Last source change August 7, 2026

02 / AFFECTED SOFTWARE

Affected packages

Unknown Unknown

16 explicit affected versions

Maven com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java

77 explicit affected versions

Maven com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin

4 explicit affected versions

RubyGems google-protobuf

90 explicit affected versions

03 / CONNECTIONS

Connected vulnerabilities

04 / EVIDENCE

Source records

Open Source Vulnerabilities GHSA-wrvw-hg22-4m67

## Summary A potential Denial of Service issue in protobuf-java was discovered in the parsing procedure for binary data. Reporter: [OSS-Fuzz](https://github.com/google/oss-fuzz) Affected versions: All versions of Java Protobufs (including Kotlin and JRuby) prior to the versions listed below. Protobuf "javalite" users (typically Android) are not affected. ## Severity [CVE-2021-22569](https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-22569) **High** - CVSS Score: 7.5, An implementation weakness in how unknown fields are parsed in Java. A small (~800 KB) malicious payload can occupy the parser for several minutes by creating large numbers of short-lived objects that cause frequent, repeated GC pauses. ## Proof of Concept For reproduction details, please refer to the oss-fuzz issue that identifies the specific inputs that exercise this parsing weakness. ## Remediation and Mitigation Please update to the latest available versions of the following packages: - protobuf-java (3.16.1, 3.18.2, 3.19.2) - protobuf-kotlin (3.18.2, 3.19.2) - google-protobuf [JRuby gem only] (3.19.2)

View original source
Open Source Vulnerabilities CVE-2021-22569

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.

View original source

05 / REFERENCES

Further evidence