DubboApplication · Apache
CVE-2021-36161
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 · uneditedSome component in Dubbo will try to print the formated string of the input arguments, which will possibly cause RCE for a maliciously customized bean with special toString method. In the latest version, we fix the toString call in timeout, cache and some other places. Fixed in Apache Dubbo 2.7.13
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 confidenceApache Dubbo contains a remote code execution vulnerability where certain components attempt to format and print input arguments using toString(). When a maliciously crafted bean with a specially implemented toString() method is passed as an argument, arbitrary code can be executed. The vulnerability exists in timeout, cache, and other processing locations.
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
DubboApplication
>= 2.7.0, < 2.7.13CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Apache Dubbo versionLocate the Dubbo JAR file or check build configuration (pom.xml, build.gradle) for the dubbo dependency versionAffected if Version is 2.7.0 through 2.7.12 (any version >= 2.7.0 and < 2.7.13)
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Review Dubbo service interfacesExamine your Dubbo service interfaces and implementation classes to identify which custom bean types are passed as method arguments to remote service callsAffected if Custom bean objects (non-primitive, non-java standard types) are passed as arguments to Dubbo service methods
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Inspect custom bean implementationsLocate the Java class definitions for all beans passed as arguments and examine whether they override the toString() method with custom logicAffected if Any custom bean class passed as a Dubbo argument has an overridden toString() method containing logic beyond simple field concatenation
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Check cache and timeout configurationsReview Dubbo configuration files (XML, YAML, or annotation-based) for usage of caching mechanisms and timeout settings that process method argumentsAffected if Cache, timeout, or similar processing features are enabled and accept user-controlled input that could be passed as bean arguments
You are affected if you run Apache Dubbo version 2.7.0-2.7.12 AND pass custom beans with overridden toString() methods as arguments to Dubbo service calls.
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.
dbcve · scoped2.7.13
Upgrade Apache Dubbo to version 2.7.13 or later. Review and audit any custom bean implementations that may be passed as arguments to Dubbo service calls.
Apache Dubbo 2.7.13 or later (2.7.x stable release)
- Upgrade Apache Dubbo from any version >= 2.7.0 and < 2.7.13 to version 2.7.13 or later
- If using a build tool (Maven/Gradle), update the Dubbo dependency version in pom.xml or build.gradle to 2.7.13 or the latest 2.7.x release
- Rebuild and redeploy all services using the updated Dubbo version
- Verify that no custom toString() implementations in your codebase expose sensitive data or execute arbitrary code, as the fix may now expose previously hidden behavior
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Dubbo
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,080.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-36161 — 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-2021-36161 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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