CVE-2021-27212: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-274h-c788-hf3c
CVSS 7.5
CWE-617
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-27212 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-617: Reachable Assertion) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product contains an assert() or similar statement that can be triggered by an attacker, which leads to an application exit or other behavior that is more severe than necessary.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2021-27212 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-27212
GHSA Identifier GHSA-274h-c788-hf3c
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-617: Reachable Assertion
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2021-27212

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Software dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:

mvn dependency:tree

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2021-27212, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Software in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-617: Reachable Assertion, where the product contains an assert() or similar statement that can be triggered by an attacker, which leads to an application exit or other behavior that is more severe than necessary. In Software, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

In OpenLDAP through 2.4.57 and 2.5.x through 2.5.1alpha, an assertion failure in slapd can occur in the issuerAndThisUpdateCheck function via a crafted packet, resulting in a denial of service (daemon exit) via a short timestamp. This is related to schema_init.c and checkTime.

References

bugs.openldap.org/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugs.openldap.org/show_bug.cgi?id=9454
cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ss... WEB
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-398330.html
git.openldap.org/openldap/openldap/-... WEB
https://git.openldap.org/openldap/openldap/-/commit/3539fc33212b528c56b716584f2c2994af7c30b0
git.openldap.org/openldap/openldap/-... WEB
https://git.openldap.org/openldap/openldap/-/commit/9badb73425a67768c09bcaed1a9c26c684af6c30
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r58af02... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r58af02e294bd07f487e2c64ffc0a29b837db5600e33b6e698b9d696b%40%3Cissues.bookkeeper.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r58af02... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r58af02e294bd07f487e2c64ffc0a29b837db5600e33b6e698b9d696b@%3Cissues.bookkeeper.apache.org%3E
NVD — CVE-2021-27212 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-27212
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf4c027... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf4c02775860db415b4955778a131c2795223f61cb8c6a450893651e4%40%3Cissues.bookkeeper.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf4c027... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf4c02775860db415b4955778a131c2795223f61cb8c6a450893651e4@%3Cissues.bookkeeper.apache.org%3E
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/02/msg00035.html
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210319-0005
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4860

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-27212?
CVE-2021-27212 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-617: Reachable Assertion.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2021-27212?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-27212?
CVE-2021-27212 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-27212?
CVE-2021-27212 is classified under CWE-617: Reachable Assertion (The product contains an assert() or similar statement that can be triggered by an attacker, which leads to an application exit or other behavior that is more severe than necessary.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-27212?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-274h-c788-hf3c",
  "modified" : "2026-10-14T12:31:17Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T17:42:08Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-27212" ],
  "details" : "In OpenLDAP through 2.4.57 and 2.5.x through 2.5.1alpha, an assertion failure in slapd can occur in the issuerAndThisUpdateCheck function via a crafted packet, resulting in a denial of service (daemon exit) via a short timestamp. This is related to schema_init.c and checkTime.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-27212"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugs.openldap.org/show_bug.cgi?id=9454"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-398330.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.openldap.org/openldap/openldap/-/commit/3539fc33212b528c56b716584f2c2994af7c30b0"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://git.openldap.org/openldap/openldap/-/commit/9badb73425a67768c09bcaed1a9c26c684af6c30"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r58af02e294bd07f487e2c64ffc0a29b837db5600e33b6e698b9d696b%40%3Cissues.bookkeeper.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r58af02e294bd07f487e2c64ffc0a29b837db5600e33b6e698b9d696b@%3Cissues.bookkeeper.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf4c02775860db415b4955778a131c2795223f61cb8c6a450893651e4%40%3Cissues.bookkeeper.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf4c02775860db415b4955778a131c2795223f61cb8c6a450893651e4@%3Cissues.bookkeeper.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/02/msg00035.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210319-0005"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4860"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-617" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-02-14T03:15:00Z"
  }
}