GHSA-7rjr-3q55-vv33
CRITICAL
Actively Exploited
Incomplete fix for Apache Log4j vulnerability
Published December 14, 2021Updated October 22, 2025Source: osv
Details
# Impact
The fix to address [CVE-2021-44228](https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-44228) in Apache Log4j 2.15.0 was incomplete in certain non-default configurations. This could allow attackers with control over Thread Context Map (MDC) input data when the logging configuration uses a non-default Pattern Layout with either a Context Lookup (for example, $${ctx:loginId}) or a Thread Context Map pattern (%X, %mdc, or %MDC) to craft malicious input data using a JNDI Lookup pattern resulting in a remote code execution (RCE) attack.
## 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.
# Mitigation
Log4j 2.16.0 fixes this issue by removing support for message lookup patterns and disabling JNDI functionality by default. This issue can be mitigated in prior releases (< 2.16.0) by removing the JndiLookup class from the classpath (example: zip -q -d log4j-core-*.jar org/apache/logging/log4j/core/lookup/JndiLookup.class).
Log4j 2.15.0 restricts JNDI LDAP lookups to localhost by default. Note that previous mitigations involving configuration such as to set the system property `log4j2.formatMsgNoLookups` to `true` do NOT mitigate this specific vulnerability.
Remediation
Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.
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 -->
Maven
Update org.ops4j.pax.logging:pax-logging-log4j2 to 1.11.11 or later<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 1.11.11 for org.ops4j.pax.logging:pax-logging-log4j2 -->
Maven
Update org.ops4j.pax.logging:pax-logging-log4j2 to 2.0.12 or later<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 2.0.12 for org.ops4j.pax.logging:pax-logging-log4j2 -->
Maven
Update org.ops4j.pax.logging:pax-logging-log4j2 to 1.10.8 or later<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 1.10.8 for org.ops4j.pax.logging:pax-logging-log4j2 -->
Maven
Update org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-core to 2.12.2 or later<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 2.12.2 for org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-core -->
Maven
Update org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-core to 2.16.0 or later<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 2.16.0 for org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-core -->
After upgrading, run your dependency scanner again to confirm the vulnerability is resolved.
Affected Packages (6)
| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed In |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| org.ops4j.pax.logging:pax-logging-log4j2 | Maven | 1.11.0, 1.11.1, 1.11.10, 1.11.2 (+7 more) | 1.11.11 |
| org.ops4j.pax.logging:pax-logging-log4j2 | Maven | 2.0.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.10, 2.0.11 (+8 more) | 2.0.12 |
| org.ops4j.pax.logging:pax-logging-log4j2 | Maven | 1.10.0, 1.10.1, 1.10.2, 1.10.3 (+4 more) | 1.10.8 |
| org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-core | Maven | 2.0, 2.0-alpha1, 2.0-alpha2, 2.0-beta1 (+35 more) | 2.12.2 |
| org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-core | Maven | 2.13.0, 2.13.1, 2.13.2, 2.13.3 (+3 more) | 2.16.0 |
Vulnerability Classification
Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifiers for this vulnerability type.
- CWE-502Deserialization of Untrusted DataMITRE
- CWE-917
CVSS Score Breakdown
What the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) 3.1 score means for each attack dimension.
Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:H
References
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-45046ADVISORY
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2022.htmlWEB
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2022.htmlWEB
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.htmlWEB
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/alert-cve-2021-44228.htmlWEB
- https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/12/14/4WEB
- https://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/930724WEB
- https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-00646.htmlWEB
- https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-5022WEB
- https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-44228WEB
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2021-45046WEB
- https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-apache-log4j-qRuKNEbdWEB
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202310-16WEB
- https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-apache-log4j-qRuKNEbdWEB
- https://psirt.global.sonicwall.com/vuln-detail/SNWLID-2021-0032WEB
- https://logging.apache.org/log4j/2.x/security.htmlWEB
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/SIG7FZULMNK2XF6FZRU4VWYDQXNMUGAJWEB
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/EOKPQGV24RRBBI4TBZUDQMM4MEH7MXCYWEB
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/SIG7FZULMNK2XF6FZRU4VWYDQXNMUGAJWEB
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/EOKPQGV24RRBBI4TBZUDQMM4MEH7MXCYWEB
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-jfh8-c2jp-5v3qADVISORY
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-714170.pdfWEB
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-661247.pdfWEB
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-479842.pdfWEB
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-397453.pdfWEB
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/12/14/4WEB
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/12/15/3WEB
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/12/18/1WEB
Risk Assessment
CVSS Score
3.1
Exploitation is difficult or impact is minor. Address in your next planned update.
EPSS Score (30-day exploit probability)
94.34%
Higher than 100% of vulnerabilities
Known Exploited Vulnerability
This vulnerability is in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, indicating active exploitation in the wild.
Remediation deadline: May 22, 2023
Also Known As
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