CVE-2021-22204
Fedoraproject Fedora 32 … 34
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:LSummary
CVE-2021-22204 is a medium-severity Code Injection (CWE-94) vulnerability in Fedoraproject Fedora. Its CVSS base score is 6.8 (Medium).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Command and Scripting Interpreter (T1059); ranked in the top 0.0% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2021-22204 is an improper neutralization vulnerability (CWE-94) in ExifTool versions 7.44 and later. It occurs during parsing of the DjVu image file format and permits arbitrary code execution when a malicious image is processed. The issue carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.8 reflecting local attack vector, low attack complexity, no required privileges or user interaction, and changed scope with limited impacts to confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
An attacker can supply a crafted DjVu file that ExifTool will parse, resulting in code execution within the context of the ExifTool process. Public exploit code demonstrates that the flaw can be reached remotely when ExifTool is invoked by other applications on untrusted images, such as GitLab's handling of uploaded attachments, enabling unauthenticated remote code execution on affected servers.
Public exploit modules and proof-of-concept reports have been published for both standalone ExifTool and integrated products such as GitLab, confirming active interest and successful in-the-wild use shortly after disclosure. No official patch or mitigation details are contained in the supplied references.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2021-9350
Vulnerability Data
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
- CWE(s)
- KEV Date Added
- 17 November 2021
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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V1.3.1
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Makes persistent code injection into loaded programs impossible when the executable image itself resides on hardware-protected read-only media.
Dynamically generated code can be produced and executed inside the isolated chamber, preventing host compromise from code-injection payloads.
Validates inputs used in dynamic code generation to block injected directives.
Directly prevents execution of attacker-supplied code written into data memory regions.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
PR.PS-06's SDLC practices directly target injection flaws via secure coding and testing (mostly), yet as a single broad outcome it leaves many code-generation specifics unaddressed (partial).
PR.DS-10 protects runtime data confidentiality/integrity but has no bearing on neutralizing externally influenced input during code generation, so neither direction shows any preventive effect.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Banning unapproved code samples and unauthenticated web services, combined with secure-coding standards and SAST, prevents the dynamic generation or inclusion of attacker-supplied code.
Controls that restrict unauthorized or malicious code from being introduced via external networks or removable media limit opportunities for an attacker to inject and execute arbitrary code.