Cyber Resilience

CVE-2021-42392

RCE in Debian Linux 10.0 … 9.0

Public PoCHigh EPSSRCEDeserialization
Published
10 January 2022
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 9.8
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.63 99.1th percentile
Risk Priority 97 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2021-42392 is a critical-severity Deserialization of Untrusted Data (CWE-502) vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).

Operationally, ranked in the top 0.9% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

The org.h2.util.JdbcUtils.getConnection method of the H2 database takes as parameters the class name of the driver and URL of the database. An attacker may pass a JNDI driver name and a URL leading to a LDAP or RMI servers, causing…

more

remote code execution. This can be exploited through various attack vectors, most notably through the H2 Console which leads to unauthenticated remote code execution.

CWE(s)

Related Threats

Likely ATT&CK TechniquesAI

Techniques this vulnerability likely enables, inferred from its description, weakness type, and attributed-actor tradecraft. Confidence is per-technique.

T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Accessconfidence: HIGH
The H2 Console is a public-facing web application that accepts attacker-controlled JDBC driver class names and connection URLs, enabling unauthenticated remote code execution via JNDI/LDAP or RMI.
T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution Executionconfidence: HIGH
Exploitation occurs when a user visits the H2 Console and triggers deserialization of a malicious JNDI reference, leading to client-side code execution.
T1055 Process Injection Stealthconfidence: MEDIUM
Successful JNDI injection results in loading attacker-controlled classes into the H2 process, which can be used for process injection or arbitrary native code execution.
inferred from description + CWE · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v19.0

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2022-23221Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2026-24765Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2025-64512Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2023-27372Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2025-49113Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2023-46604Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2019-17571Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2020-2555Same vendor: Oracle
CVE-2025-21490Same product: Debian Debian Linux
CVE-2026-35300Same vendor: Oracle

Affected Assets

h2database
h2
1.1.000 — 2.0.204
debian
debian linux
10.0, 11.0, 9.0
oracle
communications cloud native core policy
1.15.0

Mitigating Controls

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.

addresses: CWE-502

Penetration testing supplies malicious serialized objects, detecting unsafe deserialization and supporting corrective actions.

addresses: CWE-502

Evaluation of untrusted data handling (deserialization testing) reveals unsafe processing, which the required remediation process addresses.

addresses: CWE-502

Untrusted serialized data can be deserialized and observed inside the chamber, blocking gadget-chain exploitation outside the sandbox.

addresses: CWE-502

Validates or rejects untrusted serialized data before deserialization occurs.

addresses: CWE-502

Identifies and blocks malicious code introduced through deserialization of untrusted data at system boundaries.

addresses: CWE-502

Integrity verification of serialized information can detect tampering before deserialization occurs.

addresses: CWE-502

Provenance of associated data allows detection of untrusted sources before deserialization or processing occurs.

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-02 none match
prevents

PR.PS-02 addresses only post-deployment updates/patching and cannot prevent introduction of unsafe deserialization code, yet it can remediate some instances when the flaw exists in outdated libraries or components.

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.

detects

Security testing includes validation of deserialization routines and the use of untrusted data, reducing the likelihood that unsafe object reconstruction will be deployed.

prevents

Requiring vetted libraries, regular updates and SAST before release reduces the likelihood that deserialization logic will accept and act on attacker-controlled serialized objects.

detects

Regular scanning of third-party libraries and timely patching reduce the likelihood that unsafe deserialization vulnerabilities remain active.

none

Mandatory malware scanning of data received over networks or storage media intercepts malicious serialized payloads before they are deserialized by the target application.

References