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High · 8.5 Known exploited Scanner template Public exploit CVE-2021-39144 EUVD-2021-1771GHSA-j9h8-phrw-h4fh

XStream is vulnerable to a Remote Command Execution attack

Published Aug 23, 2021 · Updated Oct 21, 2025 · Assigned by GitHub_M

Vendor: x-stream Product: xstream Package: com.thoughtworks.xstream:xstream Package: libxstream-java Package: libxstream-java Ecosystem: Debian Ecosystem: Maven Ecosystem: Ubuntu

Description

XStream is a simple library to serialize objects to XML and back again. In affected versions this vulnerability may allow a remote attacker has sufficient rights to execute commands of the host only by manipulating the processed input stream. No user is affected, who followed the recommendation to setup XStream's security framework with a whitelist limited to the minimal required types. XStream 1.4.18 uses no longer a blacklist by default, since it cannot be secured for general purpose.

Affected products

VendorProductAffectedFixed
x-stream xstream < 1.4.18 —

Fixed in Linux distributions

Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.

Debian

Security tracker ↗
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Debian 14 libxstream-java 1.4.18-1 —
Debian 13 libxstream-java 1.4.18-1 —
Debian 12 libxstream-java 1.4.18-1 —
Debian 11 libxstream-java 1.4.15-3+deb11u1 DSA-5004-1
Debian 10 libxstream-java 1.4.11.1-1+deb10u3 DSA-5004-1
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Debian 9 libxstream-java 1.4.11.1-1+deb9u4 DLA-2769-1

Ubuntu

Security tracker ↗
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS libxstream-java 1.4.18-2ubuntu0.1 USN-5946-1
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS libxstream-java 1.4.11.1-1ubuntu0.3 USN-5946-1
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS libxstream-java 1.4.11.1-1+deb10u4build0.18.04.1 USN-5946-1
Show 2 more (older releases, extended support, other products)
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS libxstream-java 1.4.8-1ubuntu0.1+esm1 USN-5946-1
Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS libxstream-java 1.4.7-1ubuntu0.1+esm1 USN-5946-1

Red Hat

Security tracker ↗
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
RHEL 7 xstream +1 1.3.1-16.el7_9 RHSA-2021:3956

SUSE

Security tracker ↗
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
SLES 15 SP3 xstream 1.4.18-3.14.1 SUSE-SU-2021:3476-1
SLES 15 SP2 xstream 1.4.18-3.14.1 SUSE-SU-2021:3476-1
Show 2 more (older releases, extended support, other products)
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
SUSE Manager Server Module 4.2 xstream 1.4.18-3.14.1 SUSE-SU-2021:3476-1
SUSE Manager Server Module 4.1 xstream 1.4.18-3.14.1 SUSE-SU-2021:3476-1

openSUSE

Security tracker ↗
ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
openSUSE Tumbleweed xstream 1.4.18-1.1 openSUSE-SU-2024:10592-1
openSUSE Leap 15.3 xstream 1.4.18-3.14.1 openSUSE-SU-2021:3476-1
openSUSE Leap 15.2 xstream 1.4.18-lp152.2.12.1 openSUSE-SU-2021:1401-1

Amazon Linux

ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Amazon Linux 2 xstream +1 1.3.1-16.amzn2 ALAS2-2021-1729

Oracle Linux

ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Oracle Linux 7 xstream +1 1.3.1-16.el7_9 ELSA-2021-3956

Public exploits

Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.

Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.

Metasploit 1 module

Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.

Automated scanner template

A ready-made Nuclei template detects this vulnerability automatically. Vulnerabilities with public scanner templates are typically probed across the internet soon after the template appears — exposed systems should be patched first.

Source: projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates (MIT) — updated daily. Only links are listed.

Affected packages

EcosystemPackageAffectedFixedRecord
Maven com.thoughtworks.xstream:xstream < 1.4.18 1.4.18 GHSA-j9h8-phrw-h4fh

Advisories 13

References