CVE-2021-42560: An issue was discovered in CALDERA 2.9.0

This month

HIGH 8.8DOWNGRADE

CVE-2021-42560 is a high-severity flaw (CVSS 8.8) affecting caldera. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

An issue was discovered in CALDERA 2.9.0. The Debrief plugin receives base64 encoded "SVG" parameters when generating a PDF document. These SVG documents are parsed in an unsafe manner and can be leveraged for XXE attacks (e.g., File Exfiltration, Server Side Request Forgery, Out of Band Exfiltration, etc.).

Why this priority

High severity
Public exploit reference

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	8.8 (High)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	Low
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	2.1% (top 18%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-611
Published	2022-01-12
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): MITRE · Vendor: mitre

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2022-01-12 19:15 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 04:09 UTCUpdated Record last modified

mitre caldera DOWNGRADE

Affected: 2.9.0

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 2.9.0

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy caldera || rpm -q caldera || caldera --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 2.9.0 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison caldera sudo apt install caldera=<VERSION_BEFORE_2.9.0> sudo apt-mark hold caldera

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list caldera sudo dnf downgrade caldera-<VERSION_BEFORE_2.9.0> sudo dnf versionlock add caldera

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2021-42560?

caldera: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2021-42560 being exploited?

CVE-2021-42560 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2021-42560 affect?

CVE-2021-42560 affects caldera. Severity is high (CVSS 8.8). An issue was discovered in CALDERA 2.9.0. The Debrief plugin receives base64 encoded "SVG" parameters when generating a PDF document. These SVG documents are parsed in an unsafe manner and can be leveraged for XXE attacks (e.g., File Exfilt

How urgent is CVE-2021-42560?

Priority 56/100. High severity; Public exploit reference

Related CVEs

CVE-2022-41139 MEDIUM 5.4 UPGRADE MITRE CALDERA 4.1.0 allows stored XSS via app.contact.gist (aka the gist contact configuration field), leading
CVE-2022-40606 MEDIUM 6.1 UPGRADE MITRE CALDERA before 4.1.0 allows XSS in the Operations tab and/or Debrief plugin via a crafted operation name
CVE-2022-40605 MEDIUM 6.1 UPGRADE MITRE CALDERA before 4.1.0 allows XSS in the Operations tab and/or Debrief plugin via a crafted operation name
CVE-2021-42562 HIGH 8.1 UPGRADE An issue was discovered in CALDERA 2.8.1
CVE-2021-42561 HIGH 8.8 UPGRADE An issue was discovered in CALDERA 2.8.1

References

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