CVE-2021-29200 – CVE-2021-29200 is an unsafe deserialization vul... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2021-29200?

CVE-2021-29200 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL). CVE-2021-29200 is an unsafe deserialization vulnerability in Apache OFBiz that allows unauthenticated remote code execution. Attackers can exploit this to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. All Apache OFBiz installations prior to version 17.12.07 are vulnerable.

📋 TL;DR

CVE-2021-29200 is an unsafe deserialization vulnerability in Apache OFBiz that allows unauthenticated remote code execution. Attackers can exploit this to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. All Apache OFBiz installations prior to version 17.12.07 are vulnerable.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Apache OFBiz

Versions: All versions prior to 17.12.07

Operating Systems: All platforms running Apache OFBiz

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All default configurations are vulnerable. No special configuration required for exploitation.

📦 What is this software?

Ofbiz by Apache

View all CVEs affecting Ofbiz →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete system compromise allowing attackers to execute arbitrary commands, steal data, install malware, or pivot to other systems.

🟠

Likely Case

Remote code execution leading to data theft, service disruption, or deployment of ransomware/cryptominers.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if proper network segmentation and access controls prevent exploitation attempts.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Unauthenticated RCE makes internet-facing systems prime targets for automated attacks.

🏢 Internal Only: HIGH - Even internal systems are vulnerable to insider threats or compromised internal hosts.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: CONFIRMED

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: LOW

Exploit code is publicly available and requires minimal technical skill to execute.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 17.12.07 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rbe8439b26a71fc3b429aa793c65dcc4a6e349bc7bb5010746a74fa1d%40%3Ccommits.ofbiz.apache.org%3E

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Backup your OFBiz installation and database. 2. Download OFBiz 17.12.07 or later from Apache website. 3. Replace vulnerable files with patched version. 4. Restart OFBiz service. 5. Verify functionality.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Network Access Restriction

all

Restrict network access to OFBiz instances using firewalls or security groups

Web Application Firewall

all

Deploy WAF with rules to block deserialization attacks

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Isolate vulnerable systems in separate network segments with strict access controls
Implement application-level monitoring and alerting for suspicious deserialization attempts

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check OFBiz version in admin interface or examine version files in installation directory

Check Version:

Check ${OFBIZ_HOME}/framework/base/config/ofbiz-containers.xml or admin interface

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm version is 17.12.07 or higher and test deserialization functionality

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual Java deserialization errors
Unexpected process execution
Abnormal network connections from OFBiz process

Network Indicators:

HTTP requests with serialized Java objects in parameters
Outbound connections to suspicious IPs from OFBiz server

SIEM Query:

source="ofbiz.log" AND ("deserialization" OR "java.io.ObjectInputStream" OR suspicious command execution patterns)

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2021-29200

CVSS v3 Score: 9.8 (CRITICAL)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-502

Published: April 27, 2021

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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