Vulnerability

CVE-2021-22204

Medium· 6.8KEVEXPLOITCVSS6.8EPSS93%

.rules3/5

ExifTool Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Improper neutralization of user data in the DjVu file format in Exiftool versions 7.44 and up allows arbitrary code execution when parsing the malicious image

Threat signal

98/100

Severe

Severity

medium

CVSS

6.8

EPSS

93%

Active

KEV

CISA KEV — actively exploited

1655d overdue

AffectedPerl — Exiftool

Added to KEV

2021-11-17

Federal patch due (BOD 22-01)

2021-12-01

Required action (CISA verbatim)

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Vendor advisory + references

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-22204

CISA description: “Improper neutralization of user data in the DjVu file format in Exiftool versions 7.44 and up allows arbitrary code execution when parsing the malicious image”

CVSS

v3.1Open in FIRST calculator →

6.8/ 10MEDIUMCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L

Attack VectorLocalRequires local access — shell, console, or local app.
Attack ComplexityLowNo special conditions — exploit works reliably.
Privileges RequiredNoneUnauthenticated — no credentials needed.
User InteractionNoneFully automated — no victim action needed.
ScopeChangedImpact extends beyond the vulnerable component (e.g. sandbox escape).
Confidentiality ImpactLowSome data disclosure; attacker doesn't fully control what.
Integrity ImpactLowSome data modification; attacker doesn't fully control extent.
Availability ImpactLowReduced performance / interruptions.

EPSS

Exploit prediction · 30-day horizonFIRST.org →

92.8%

probability of exploitation in next 30 days

p100

higher than 100% of all CVEs

3-day trend↑ 0pp

Statistically about to be weaponized — top-tier triage urgency.

Vendor VEX

No VEX statements published for CVE-2021-22204. Vendors publish VEX (Vulnerability Exploitability eXchange) to assert per-product whether a CVE is actually exploitable in their distribution.

SSVCAttend

Active exploitation with limited impact — coordinate patching

exploitation: active
automatable: no
impact: partial
mission: support

Lifecycle

2021-11-17Added to CISA KEVransomware: Unknown
2021-11-17Public exploit observedexploitdb, metasploit
2021-11-17Published
2021-12-01Federal patch due (BOD 22-01)
2026-06-12Last modified1 source

Mentions in news & research

research:securelistHow an image could compromise your Mac: understanding an ExifTool vulnerability (CVE-2026-3102)24 d ago

No source-event history recorded yet. New revisions will appear here as ingestors re-fetch this CVE.