What is GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5?

GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5 is a high-severity security vulnerability in exiftool_vendored (rubygems), affecting versions < 12.25.0. It is fixed in 12.25.0.

How severe is GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5?

GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (High). 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.

Which versions of exiftool_vendored are affected by GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5?

exiftool_vendored (rubygems) versions < 12.25.0 is affected.

Is there a fix for GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5?

Yes. GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5 is fixed in 12.25.0. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5 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.

What actually determines whether GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5 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.

How do I fix GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5?

Upgrade exiftool_vendored to 12.25.0 or later.

GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5 in exiftool_vendored

Q: How severe is GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5?

GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (High). 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.

Q: Which versions of exiftool_vendored are affected by GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5?

exiftool_vendored (rubygems) versions < 12.25.0 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5?

Yes. GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5 is fixed in 12.25.0. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5 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.

Q: What actually determines whether GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5 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.

Q: How do I fix GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5?

Upgrade exiftool_vendored to 12.25.0 or later.

Summary

ExifTool vulnerable to arbitrary code execution

Workarounds

References

https://twitter.com/wcbowling/status/1385803927321415687
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-22204

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

Open an issue in exiftool_vendored.rb

Impact

Arbitrary code execution can occur when running exiftool against files with hostile metadata payloads

GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (High). The vector is requires local access, low 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 (12.25.0); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

exiftool_vendored (< 12.25.0)

Security releases

exiftool_vendored → 12.25.0 (rubygems)

Kodem intelligence

Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.

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. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.

Already deployed Kodem?

See it in your environment New to Kodem? Get a demo →

Remediation advice

ExifTool has already been patched in version 12.24. exiftool_vendored.rb, which vendors ExifTool, includes this patch in v12.25.0.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5? GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5 is a high-severity security vulnerability in exiftool_vendored (rubygems), affecting versions < 12.25.0. It is fixed in 12.25.0.
How severe is GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5? GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (High). 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.
Which versions of exiftool_vendored are affected by GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5? exiftool_vendored (rubygems) versions < 12.25.0 is affected.
Is there a fix for GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5? Yes. GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5 is fixed in 12.25.0. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5 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
What actually determines whether GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5 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.
How do I fix GHSA-Q95H-CQRV-8JV5? Upgrade exiftool_vendored to 12.25.0 or later.