Jira Data CenterApplication · Atlassian

CVE-2021-39128

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-16

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.13.12 / 8.19.1 or later.

See remediation →

78/100

Remediation priority · High

Remotely reachable Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

Affected versions of Atlassian Jira Server or Data Center using the Jira Service Management addon allow remote attackers with JIRA Administrators access to execute arbitrary Java code via a server-side template injection vulnerability in the Email Template feature. The affected versions of Jira Server or Data Center are before version 8.13.12, and from version 8.14.0 before 8.19.1.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

This is a server-side template injection (SSTI) vulnerability in the Email Template feature of Jira Service Management addon. Attackers with JIRA Administrator access can inject malicious template expressions to achieve arbitrary Java code execution on the server.

MitigationUpgrade Jira Server or Data Center to version 8.13.12 or 8.19.1 or later. Restrict administrative access and audit existing email templates as an interim control.

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

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Jira Data CenterApplication

Affected:< 8.13.12>= 8.14.0, < 8.19.1

Jira ServerApplication

Affected:< 8.13.12>= 8.14.0, < 8.19.1

CVSS breakdown

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?

dbcve checks

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

Check Jira version

Navigate to Jira administration > System > System Info, or run: java -jar atlassian-jira-core*.jar --version, or look for version in <jira-install>/atlassian-jira/WEB-INF/classes/jira-config.properties or the about page

Affected if The installed version falls within < 8.13.12 or >= 8.14.0 and < 8.19.1
Confirm Jira edition

Check if running Jira Server or Jira Data Center from System Info page or administration dashboard

Affected if Running Jira Server or Jira Data Center (both editions are affected)
Verify Email Template feature access

Navigate to Jira administration > Email > Email Templates, or check if the /secure/admin/EditEmailTemplate.jspa endpoint is accessible

Affected if The Email Templates administration page is accessible to your administrator account (the vulnerable feature is present)

You are affected if your Jira version is 8.13.x before 8.13.12, or 8.14.0 through 8.19.0, AND you have access to the Email Templates administration section.

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

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 8.13.12 / 8.19.1 or later

Fixed in 8.13.128.19.1

Interim mitigation

Upgrade Jira Server or Data Center to version 8.13.12 or 8.19.1 or later. Restrict administrative access and audit existing email templates as an interim control.

Recommended fix High confidence

8.19.1 or later (8.13.12 is also a fixed release)

Ensure you have a complete backup of your Jira Data Center or Server instance and database before proceeding
Review Atlassian's upgrade documentation for your specific version at jira.atlassian.com
Stop the Jira application server
Upgrade Jira Data Center or Server to version 8.19.1 or later (alternatively, 8.13.12 is also a fixed version)
Verify the upgrade was successful by checking the Jira version in Administration > System > System Info
Restart the Jira application
Confirm the Email Template feature functions correctly after upgrade

Caveat Review Atlassian's upgrade notes for any behavior changes between your current version and the target version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Jira Data Center Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation3.0 h
Implementation6.0 h
Testing5.0 h
Review / QA3.0 h

17.0 hours of engineering $2,970

Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,752.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-39128 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

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References

Primary sources

jira.atlassian.comIssue TrackingVendor Advisory
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-39128 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2021-39128?

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

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 8.13.12 / 8.19.1 or later

Severity 7.2 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 1.9%

Affects: Jira Data Center

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Jira Data Center 17 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $2,970

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2021-39128 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

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

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References