CVE-2021-44832 — Improper Input Validation and Injection in...
MEDIUM
Improper Input Validation and Injection in Apache Log4j2
Published January 4, 2022Updated June 9, 2026Source: osv
What Should I Do?
Fix Within 2-4 Weeks
Moderate exploitation risk (53.59% probability in 30 days). Schedule remediation soon.
Summary
Apache Log4j2 versions 2.0-beta7 through 2.17.0 (excluding security fix releases 2.3.2 and 2.12.4) are vulnerable to an attack where an attacker with permission to modify the logging configuration file can construct a malicious configuration using a JDBC Appender with a data source referencing a JNDI URI which can execute remote code. This issue is fixed by limiting JNDI data source names to the java protocol in Log4j2 versions 2.17.1, 2.12.4, and 2.3.2.
# Affected packages
Only the `org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-core` package is directly affected by this vulnerability. The `org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-api` should be kept at the same version as the `org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-core` package to ensure compatability if in use.
This issue does not impact default configurations of Log4j2 and requires an attacker to have control over the Log4j2 configuration, which reduces the likelihood of being exploited.
Advisory Timeline
- First published January 4, 2022 (1742 days ago).
- Last revised June 9, 2026 — 1617 days after initial publication.
Remediation
Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.
Maven
Update org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-core to 2.17.1 or later<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 2.17.1 for org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-core -->
Maven
Update org.ops4j.pax.logging:pax-logging-log4j2 to 1.10.9 or later<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 1.10.9 for org.ops4j.pax.logging:pax-logging-log4j2 -->
Maven
Update org.ops4j.pax.logging:pax-logging-log4j2 to 2.0.14 or later<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 2.0.14 for org.ops4j.pax.logging:pax-logging-log4j2 -->
Maven
Update org.ops4j.pax.logging:pax-logging-log4j2 to 1.11.13 or later<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 1.11.13 for org.ops4j.pax.logging:pax-logging-log4j2 -->
Maven
Update org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-core to 2.12.4 or later<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 2.12.4 for org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-core -->
Maven
Update org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-core to 2.3.2 or later<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 2.3.2 for org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-core -->
Maven
Update org.ops4j.pax.logging:pax-logging-log4j2 to 1.9.2 or later<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 1.9.2 for org.ops4j.pax.logging:pax-logging-log4j2 -->
After upgrading, run your dependency scanner again to confirm the vulnerability is resolved.
Affected Packages (7)
Affects 1 ecosystem: maven (2).
| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed In |
|---|---|---|---|
| org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-core | maven | 2.13.0, 2.13.1, 2.13.2, 2.13.3 (+5 more) | 2.17.1 |
| org.ops4j.pax.logging:pax-logging-log4j2 | maven | 1.10.0, 1.10.1, 1.10.2, 1.10.3 (+5 more) | 1.10.9 |
| org.ops4j.pax.logging:pax-logging-log4j2 | maven | 2.0.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.10, 2.0.11 (+10 more) | 2.0.14 |
| org.ops4j.pax.logging:pax-logging-log4j2 | maven | 1.11.0, 1.11.1, 1.11.10, 1.11.11 (+9 more) | 1.11.13 |
| org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-core | maven | 2.10.0, 2.11.0, 2.11.1, 2.11.2 (+16 more) | 2.12.4 |
| org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-core | maven | 2.0, 2.0-beta7, 2.0-beta8, 2.0-beta9 (+8 more) | 2.3.2 |
| org.ops4j.pax.logging:pax-logging-log4j2 | maven | 1.8.0, 1.8.1, 1.8.2, 1.8.3 (+6 more) | 1.9.2 |
Vulnerability Classification
Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifiers for this vulnerability type.
- CWE-20Improper Input ValidationMITRE
- CWE-74
CVSS Score Breakdown
What the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) 6.6 score means for each attack dimension.
Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
High
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
References
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-44832ADVISORY
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-784507.pdfWEB
- https://github.com/apache/logging-log4j2PACKAGE
- https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/LOG4J2-3293WEB
- https://lists.apache.org/thread/s1o5vlo78ypqxnzn6p8zf6t9shtq5143WEB
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/12/msg00036.htmlWEB
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/EVV25FXL4FU5X6X5BSL7RLQ7T6F65MRAWEB
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/T57MPJUW3MA6QGWZRTMCHHMMPQNVKGFCWEB
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/EVV25FXL4FU5X6X5BSL7RLQ7T6F65MRAWEB
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/T57MPJUW3MA6QGWZRTMCHHMMPQNVKGFCWEB
- https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-apache-log4j-qRuKNEbdWEB
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20220104-0001WEB
- https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-apache-log4j-qRuKNEbdWEB
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.htmlWEB
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2022.htmlWEB
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2022.htmlWEB
- https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/12/28/1WEB
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2021-44832?
- Improper Input Validation and Injection in Apache Log4j2 This vulnerability has been assigned a severity rating of MEDIUM (CVSS score: 6.6/10).
- How do I check if my project is affected by CVE-2021-44832?
- CVE-2021-44832 affects org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-core and org.ops4j.pax.logging:pax-logging-log4j2. It has a 53.6% probability of exploitation within 30 days (EPSS score). Use GeekWala's free vulnerability scanner to check your dependencies against CVE-2021-44832 and 200,000+ other known vulnerabilities.
Severity & Exploitability
CVSS Score
6.6
Exploitation requires specific conditions or has limited impact. Remediate within weeks.
EPSS Score (30-day exploit probability)
53.59%
Higher than 98% of vulnerabilities
This places it in the top 5% of EPSS-scored vulnerabilities — 97.9% of tracked vulnerabilities score at or below it, so it is far more likely to be exploited than nearly all other tracked vulnerabilities.
Also Known As
GHSA-8489-44mv-ggj8
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