Medium 6.8Known exploited (CISA KEV)Published Apr 23, 2021

CVE-2021-22204Improper 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

Updated under an hour ago (2026-10-19 07:30 UTC)

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It affects ExifTool and 3 other products. Add what you run to find out whether that includes you.

CISA lists it as known exploited since Nov 17, 2021; federal agencies had to remediate by Dec 1, 2021. Treat that date as your deadline.

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Every CVE for ExifTool

Exploited in the last 30 days

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: 6.8 MEDIUM (v3.1, CNA)CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:L
Weakness (CWE): CWE-94
Known exploited: Added to CISA KEV Nov 17, 2021; federal remediation due Dec 1, 2021Apply updates per vendor instructions.
EPSS (exploitation in the next 30 days): 99.98% (percentile 100)
Assigned by: GitLab
NVD analysis: Analyzed
Record last updated: Oct 21, 2025
First seen by InfoSec Signals: Oct 9, 2026

Affected products

Affected products

ExifTool ExifTool exiftool:exiftool (from the name)	from 7.44, <12.24	CNA record
exiftool_project exiftool exiftool_project:exiftool	from 7.44 before 12.24	NVD
debian debian_linux debian:debian_linux	9.0; 10.0	NVD
fedoraproject fedora fedoraproject:fedora	32; 33; 34	NVD

References

https://github.com/exiftool/exiftool/commit/cf0f4e7dcd024ca99615bfd1102a841a25dde031#diff-fa0d652d10dbcd246e6b1df16c1e992931d3bb717a7e36157596b76bdadb3800x-refsource-misc, patch
https://hackerone.com/reports/1154542x-refsource-misc, exploit, issue-tracking, third-party-advisory
https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/cves/-/blob/master/2021/CVE-2021-22204.jsonx-refsource-confirm, third-party-advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4910vendor-advisory, x-refsource-debian, mailing-list, third-party-advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/U4RF6PJCJ6NQOVJJJF6HN6BORUQVIXY6/vendor-advisory, x-refsource-fedora, release-notes
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/DDKDLJLBTBBR66OOPXSXCG2PQRM5KCZL/vendor-advisory, x-refsource-fedora, release-notes
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/F6UOBPU3LSHAPRRJNISNVXZ5DSUIALLV/vendor-advisory, x-refsource-fedora, release-notes
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/05/09/1mailing-list, x-refsource-mlist, third-party-advisory
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/05/10/5mailing-list, x-refsource-mlist, third-party-advisory
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/162558/ExifTool-DjVu-ANT-Perl-Injection.htmlx-refsource-misc, exploit, third-party-advisory, vdb-entry
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/05/msg00018.htmlmailing-list, x-refsource-mlist, third-party-advisory
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/164768/GitLab-Unauthenticated-Remote-ExifTool-Command-Injection.htmlx-refsource-misc, exploit, third-party-advisory, vdb-entry
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/164994/GitLab-13.10.2-Remote-Code-Execution.htmlx-refsource-misc, exploit, third-party-advisory, vdb-entry
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/167038/ExifTool-12.23-Arbitrary-Code-Execution.htmlx-refsource-misc, exploit, third-party-advisory, vdb-entry
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2021-22204us-government-resource

The CVE record on cve.org NVD's entry

The CVE record is authoritative. Products marked “from the name” were identified from the CNA's free-text names, not a CPE, and are matched less certainly. This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.