Xml DatabaseDatabase / datastore · Oracle

CVE-2021-2329

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-07-21
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
78/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Vulnerability in the Oracle XML DB component of Oracle Database Server. Supported versions that are affected are 12.1.0.2, 12.2.0.1 and 19c. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows high privileged attacker having Create Any Procedure, Create Public Synonym privilege with network access via Oracle Net to compromise Oracle XML DB. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of Oracle XML DB. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 7.2 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

Vulnerability in Oracle XML DB allows a high-privileged attacker with Create Any Procedure and Create Public Synonym privileges to compromise Oracle XML DB via network access through Oracle Net, potentially resulting in complete takeover of that database component.

MitigationApply the relevant Oracle Critical Patch Update (CPU) for CVE-2021-2329 to the affected Oracle Database Server versions (12.1.0.2, 12.2.0.1, 19c). Verify that the patched user accounts retain only necessary privileges.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Xml DatabaseDatabase / datastore
Affected:= 12.1.0.2= 12.2.0.1= 19c

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Oracle Database version
    Run SELECT VERSION FROM V$INSTANCE; or SELECT * FROM PRODUCT_COMPONENT_VERSION; to obtain the exact installed version of the Oracle Database server.
    Affected if The version matches 12.1.0.2, 12.2.0.1, or 19c.
  2. Verify XML DB component is installed
    Run SELECT COMP_NAME, VERSION, STATUS FROM DBA_REGISTRY WHERE COMP_NAME LIKE '%XML%'; to check if Oracle XML Database component is installed and its status.
    Affected if XML DB component shows as INSTALLED with VALID status.
  3. Check for Create Any Procedure privilege
    Run SELECT GRANTEE, PRIVILEGE FROM DBA_SYS_PRIVS WHERE PRIVILEGE = 'CREATE ANY PROCEDURE'; to list users or roles granted the Create Any Procedure system privilege.
    Affected if Any user account other than SYS has the Create Any Procedure privilege granted.
  4. Check for Create Public Synonym privilege
    Run SELECT GRANTEE, PRIVILEGE FROM DBA_SYS_PRIVS WHERE PRIVILEGE = 'CREATE PUBLIC SYNONYM'; to list users or roles granted the Create Public Synonym system privilege.
    Affected if Any user account other than SYS has the Create Public Synonym privilege granted.
  5. Identify high-privileged XML DB users
    Cross-reference the results from steps 3 and 4 to identify accounts that hold BOTH Create Any Procedure AND Create Public Synonym privileges. Run SELECT GRANTEE FROM DBA_SYS_PRIVS WHERE PRIVILEGE = 'CREATE ANY PROCEDURE' INTERSECT SELECT GRANTEE FROM DBA_SYS_PRIVS WHERE PRIVILEGE = 'CREATE PUBLIC SYNONYM';
    Affected if Any user account appears in both privilege sets.

Your environment is affected if you run Oracle Database versions 12.1.0.2, 12.2.0.1, or 19c with XML DB installed and any user account possesses both the Create Any Procedure and Create Public Synonym privileges.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the relevant Oracle Critical Patch Update (CPU) for CVE-2021-2329 to the affected Oracle Database Server versions (12.1.0.2, 12.2.0.1, 19c). Verify that the patched user accounts retain only necessary privileges.

Fix this in Xml Database Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
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Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-2329 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data