CVE-2021-32647
Post-authentication Remote Code Execution (RCE) in emissary:emissary
- Published
- Updated
- Reserved
- Assigned by
- GitHub_M
Description
Emissary is a P2P based data-driven workflow engine. Affected versions of Emissary are vulnerable to post-authentication Remote Code Execution (RCE). The [`CreatePlace`](https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/emissary/blob/30c54ef16c6eb6ed09604a929939fb9f66868382/src/main/java/emissary/server/mvc/internal/CreatePlaceAction.java#L36) REST endpoint accepts an `sppClassName` parameter which is used to load an arbitrary class. This class is later instantiated using a constructor with the following signature: `<constructor>(String, String, String)`. An attacker may find a gadget (class) in the application classpath that could be used to achieve Remote Code Execution (RCE) or disrupt the application. Even though the chances to find a gadget (class) that allow arbitrary code execution are low, an attacker can still find gadgets that could potentially crash the application or leak sensitive data. As a work around disable network access to Emissary from untrusted sources.
Timeline
ID reserved
By GitHub_M
- 16 days later
· 16 days later
Published
- 3 years later
· 3 years later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub_MCNA (assigner) | 3.1 | High8.0 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| NVDNVD · Modified | 3.1 | Critical9.1 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 2.9% · top 13% of all CVEs (7 Nov 2026)
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 8.0.
Weakness
Affected products
NationalSecurityAgency · emissary
- affected = 6.4.0
References (2)
- https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/emissary/security/advisories/GHSA-ph73-7v9r-wg32 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRMx_transferred
- https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/emissary/blob/30c54ef16c6eb6ed09604a929939fb9f66868382/src/main/java/emissary/server/mvc/internal/CreatePlaceAction.java#L36 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://trackcve.app/cve/CVE-2021-32647)Record last updated .