CVE-2021-30181

Code injection in Apache Dubbo

Apache Dubbo prior to 2.6.9 and 2.7.10 supports Script routing which will enable a customer to route the request to the right server. These rules are used by the customers when making a request in order to find the right endpoint. When parsing these rules, Dubbo customers use ScriptEngine and run the rule provided by the script which by default may enable executing arbitrary code.

Untrusted input is evaluated as executable code within the application's runtime environment. Typical impact: arbitrary code execution within the application's privilege context.

CVE-2021-30181 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2.6.9, 2.7.10); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

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1. What is CVE-2021-30181? CVE-2021-30181 is a critical-severity code injection vulnerability in com.alibaba:dubbo (maven), affecting versions >= 2.5.0, < 2.6.9. It is fixed in 2.6.9, 2.7.10. Untrusted input is evaluated as executable code within the application's runtime environment.
2. How severe is CVE-2021-30181? CVE-2021-30181 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
3. Which packages are affected by CVE-2021-30181?
   • com.alibaba:dubbo (maven) (versions >= 2.5.0, < 2.6.9)
   • org.apache.dubbo:dubbo (maven) (versions >= 2.5.0, < 2.7.10)
4. Is there a fix for CVE-2021-30181? Yes. CVE-2021-30181 is fixed in 2.6.9, 2.7.10. Upgrade to this version or later.
5. Is CVE-2021-30181 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2021-30181 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
6. What actually determines whether CVE-2021-30181 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
7. How do I fix CVE-2021-30181?
   • Upgrade com.alibaba:dubbo to 2.6.9 or later
   • Upgrade org.apache.dubbo:dubbo to 2.7.10 or later

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