Vulnerabilities in pkg:maven/org.glassfish/javax.el

PACKAGE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-v6w3-2prq-h95f
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Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-28170 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.3) improper input validation vulnerability (CWE-917: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an Expression Language Statement ('Expression Language Injection')) affecting El ri libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves improper input validation in jakarta expression language. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.0.4.

1 Known Advisory Record(s)
Package Vulnerability Intelligence

pkg:maven/org.glassfish/javax.el

1 Known Advisory Record(s)

Vulnerability advisories affecting package pkg:maven/org.glassfish/javax.el. Select an advisory below to view technical details or fixes.

Advisory ID CVE / NVD Severity Summary
GHSA-v6w3-2prq-h95f CVE-2021-28170 MODERATE Improper Input Validation in Jakarta Expression Language

CVE-2021-28170 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-28170
GHSA Identifier GHSA-v6w3-2prq-h95f
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.3
CWE Classification CWE-917: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an Expression Language Statement ('Expression Language Injection')
Affected Product El ri
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.3

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:L/A:N).

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 Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2021-28170

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

com.sun.el:el-ri fixed: 3.0.4 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.sun.el</groupId>
    <artifactId>el-ri</artifactId>
    <version>3.0.4</version>
</dependency>
org.glassfish:jakarta.el fixed: 3.0.4 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.glassfish</groupId>
    <artifactId>jakarta.el</artifactId>
    <version>3.0.4</version>
</dependency>
org.glassfish:javax.el fixed: Latest secure release 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.glassfish</groupId>
    <artifactId>javax.el</artifactId>
    <version>Latest secure release</version>
</dependency>
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 -Dincludes=com.sun.el

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2021-28170, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.sun.el

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of El ri in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.0.4), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.sun.el 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-917: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an Expression Language Statement ('Expression Language Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of an expression language (el) statement in a framework such as a java server page (jsp) using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended el statement before it is executed. In El ri, 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 the Jakarta Expression Language implementation 3.0.3 and earlier, a bug in the ELParserTokenManager enables invalid EL expressions to be evaluated as if they were valid.

CVE-2021-28170 Affected El ri Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.0.4
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
com.sun.el:el-ri
maven/com.sun.el/el-ri
Maven
< 3.0.4
3.0.4
org.glassfish:jakarta.el
maven/org.glassfish/jakarta.el
Maven
< 3.0.4
3.0.4
org.glassfish:javax.el
maven/org.glassfish/javax.el
Maven
≤ 3.0.1-b12

References

NVD — CVE-2021-28170 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-28170
El ri Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/eclipse-ee4j/el-ri/issues/155
El ri Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/eclipse-ee4j/el-ri/pull/160/commits/b6a3943ac5fba71cbc6719f092e319caa747855b
El ri Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/eclipse-ee4j/el-ri
El ri Security Information SECURITY
https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGGLASSFISH-1297098
El ri Security Information SECURITY
https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGGLASSFISH-2841368
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://securitylab.github.com/advisories/GHSL-2020-021-jakarta-el
El ri Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-28170?
CVE-2021-28170 is a security vulnerability in El ri involving Improper Input Validation in Jakarta Expression Language under CWE-917: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an Expression Language Statement ('Expression Language Injection').
Which El ri versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.0.4 across affected packages: com.sun.el:el-ri, org.glassfish:jakarta.el, org.glassfish:javax.el.
What version fixes CVE-2021-28170?
Upgrading to 3.0.4 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is el-ri affected?
Yes, com.sun.el:el-ri is affected in releases prior to 3.0.4. Upgrade your dependency to 3.0.4 or later.
Is jakarta.el affected?
Yes, org.glassfish:jakarta.el is affected in releases prior to 3.0.4. Upgrade your dependency to 3.0.4 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-28170?
CVE-2021-28170 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-28170?
CVE-2021-28170 is classified under CWE-917: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an Expression Language Statement ('Expression Language Injection') (The product constructs all or part of an expression language (EL) statement in a framework such as a Java Server Page (JSP) using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended EL statement before it is executed.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-28170?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.sun.el'. 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
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-v6w3-2prq-h95f",
  "modified" : "2025-07-01T16:13:50Z",
  "published" : "2021-10-06T17:48:38Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-28170" ],
  "summary" : "Improper Input Validation in Jakarta Expression Language",
  "details" : "In the Jakarta Expression Language implementation 3.0.3 and earlier, a bug in the ELParserTokenManager enables invalid EL expressions to be evaluated as if they were valid.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
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      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.sun.el:el-ri"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
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      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.0.4"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.glassfish:jakarta.el"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.0.4"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
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      "name" : "org.glassfish:javax.el"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "3.0.1-b12"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-28170"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/eclipse-ee4j/el-ri/issues/155"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/eclipse-ee4j/el-ri/pull/160/commits/b6a3943ac5fba71cbc6719f092e319caa747855b"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/eclipse-ee4j/el-ri"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGGLASSFISH-1297098"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGGLASSFISH-2841368"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://securitylab.github.com/advisories/GHSL-2020-021-jakarta-el"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20", "CWE-917" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-10-06T13:31:54Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-05-26T22:15:00Z"
  }
}