CVE-2021-21289

Name: CVE-2021-21289
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2021-02-02T19:15:14.22+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

HIGHCVSS 8.3/10EPSS 3.51%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2021-21289 is a high-severity vulnerability rated 8.3/10 on the CVSS scale. Mechanize is an open-source ruby library that makes automated web interaction easy. In Mechanize from version 2.0.0 and before version 2.7.7 there is a command injection vulnerability. EPSS estimates a 3.51% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

Mechanize is an open-source ruby library that makes automated web interaction easy. In Mechanize from version 2.0.0 and before version 2.7.7 there is a command injection vulnerability. Affected versions of mechanize allow for OS commands to be injected using several classes' methods which implicitly use Ruby's Kernel.open method. Exploitation is possible only if untrusted input is used as a local filename and passed to any of these calls: Mechanize::CookieJar#load, Mechanize::CookieJar#save_as, Mechanize#download, Mechanize::Download#save, Mechanize::File#save, and Mechanize::FileResponse#read_body. This is fixed in version 2.7.7.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

8.3/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS Probability

3.51%

87.7th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Mechanize Project	Mechanize	>= 2.0, < 2.7.7
Fedoraproject	Fedora	32
Fedoraproject	Fedora	33
Debian	Debian Linux	9.0

References

https://github.com/sparklemotion/mechanize/commit/66a6a1bfa653a5f13274a396a5e5441238656aa0Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/sparklemotion/mechanize/releases/tag/v2.7.7Release Notes, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/sparklemotion/mechanize/security/advisories/GHSA-qrqm-fpv6-6r8gThird Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/02/msg00021.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/LBVVJUL4P4KCJH4IQTHFZ4ATXY7XXZPV/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/YNFZ7ROYS6V4J5L5PRAJUG2AWC7VXR2V/
https://rubygems.org/gems/mechanize/Product, Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202107-17Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/sparklemotion/mechanize/commit/66a6a1bfa653a5f13274a396a5e5441238656aa0Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/sparklemotion/mechanize/releases/tag/v2.7.7Release Notes, Third Party Advisory
https://github.com/sparklemotion/mechanize/security/advisories/GHSA-qrqm-fpv6-6r8gThird Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/02/msg00021.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/LBVVJUL4P4KCJH4IQTHFZ4ATXY7XXZPV/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/YNFZ7ROYS6V4J5L5PRAJUG2AWC7VXR2V/
https://rubygems.org/gems/mechanize/Product, Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202107-17Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Feb 2, 2021
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-21289?

How severe is CVE-2021-21289?

CVE-2021-21289 has a CVSS score of 8.3/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 3.51% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2021-21289?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2021-21289?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST