CVE-2021-32754
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 · uneditedFlowDroid is a data flow analysis tool. FlowDroid versions prior to 2.9.0 contained an XML external entity (XXE) vulnerability that allowed an attacker who had control over the source/sink definition file in XML format to read files from external locations. In order for this to occur, the XML-based format for sources and sinks had to be used and the attacker had to able control the source/sink definition file. The vulnerability was patched in version 2.9.0. As a workaround, do not allow untrusted entities to control the source/sink definition file.
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 · high confidenceFlowDroid is a static data flow analysis tool for Android that uses XML files to define sources (sensitive data origins) and sinks (data destinations). Versions prior to 2.9.0 contain an XXE vulnerability in the XML parser that processes these source/sink definition files. An attacker who can control or provide a malicious XML source/sink file can inject external entity references to read arbitrary files from the file system or external URLs.
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< 2.9.0CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify FlowDroid versionLocate the FlowDroid JAR file or dependency and check its version metadata (e.g., look at the filename, MANIFEST.MF, or pom.xml if built from source). Compare the version number against the affected range of versions prior to 2.9.0.Affected if The installed version is below 2.9.0
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Determine if custom source/sink XML files are loadedReview your FlowDroid analysis configuration or code to identify whether custom or external source/sink definition XML files are being loaded, rather than using only the built-in default definitions.Affected if Custom or external XML source/sink definition files are loaded into FlowDroid
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Assess trust status of XML definition filesExamine the origin and access control of the source/sink XML files: check if they come from untrusted user input, external URLs, unversioned configuration directories, or any location where an untrusted entity could modify the file content.Affected if The XML definition files originate from untrusted or uncontrolled sources, or can be influenced by untrusted entities
You are affected if FlowDroid version is below 2.9.0 AND your analysis loads source/sink definition XML files that originate from untrusted or user-controlled sources.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 data2.9.0
Upgrade to FlowDroid 2.9.0 or later which patches the XXE vulnerability. As a workaround, ensure source/sink definition files are only loaded from trusted sources and never allow untrusted entities to control these XML files.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-32754 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-32754 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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