Sandbox Bypass in Apache Velocity Engine
An attacker that is able to modify Velocity templates may execute arbitrary Java code or run arbitrary system commands with the same privileges as the account running the Servlet container. This applies to applications that allow untrusted users to upload/modify velocity templates running Apache Velocity Engine versions up to 2.2.
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.apache.velocity:velocity | <= 1.7 | no fix |
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.apache.velocity:velocity-engine-parent | < 2.3 | 2.3 |
References
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-13936
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2022.html
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.html
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202107-52
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/03/msg00019.html
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf7d369de88dc88a1347006a3323b3746d849234db40a8edfd5ebc436@%3Cdev.ws.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/reab5978b54a9f4c078402161e30a89c42807b198814acadbe6c862c7@%3Cdev.ws.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/re8e7482fe54d289fc0229e61cc64947b63b12c3c312e9f25bf6f3b8c@%3Cdev.ws.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/re641197d204765130618086238c73dd2ce5a3f94b33785b587d72726@%3Cdev.ws.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rd7e865c87f9043c21d9c1fd9d4df866061d9a08cfc322771160d8058@%3Cdev.ws.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rd2a89e17e8a9b451ce655f1a34117752ea1d18a22ce580d8baa824fd@%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rbee7270556f4172322936b5ecc9fabf0c09f00d4fa56c9de1963c340@%3Cdev.ws.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rb042f3b0090e419cc9f5a3d32cf0baff283ccd6fcb1caea61915d6b6@%3Ccommits.velocity.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r9dc2505651788ac668299774d9e7af4dc616be2f56fdc684d1170882@%3Cusers.activemq.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r7f209b837217d2a0fe5977fb692e7f15d37fa5de8214bcdc4c21d9a7@%3Ccommits.turbine.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r52a5129df402352adc34d052bab9234c8ef63596306506a89fdc7328@%3Cusers.activemq.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r4cd59453b65d4ac290fcb3b71fdf32b4f1f8989025e89558deb5a245@%3Cdev.ws.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r3ea4c4c908505b20a4c268330dfe7188b90c84dcf777728d02068ae6@%3Cannounce.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r39de20c7e9c808b1f96790875d33e58c9c0aabb44fd9227e7b3dc5da@%3Cdev.ws.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r293284c6806c73f51098001ea86a14271c39f72cd76af9e946d9d9ad@%3Cdev.ws.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r17cb932fab14801b14e5b97a7f05192f4f366ef260c10d4a8dba8ac9@%3Cdev.ws.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r0bc98e9cd080b4a13b905c571b9bed87e1a0878d44dbf21487c6cca4@%3Cdev.santuario.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r01043f584cbd47959fabe18fff64de940f81a65024bb8dddbda31d9a@%3Cuser.velocity.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r01043f584cbd47959fabe18fff64de940f81a65024bb8dddbda31d9a%40%3Cuser.velocity.apache.org%3E
- https://github.com/apache/velocity-engine
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/03/10/1
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-20- Platform
- Java / Kotlin (Maven)
- Package
org.apache.velocity:velocity, org.apache.velocity:velocity-engine-parent- Disclosed
- 06.01.2022
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 12:21
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-59j4-wjwp-mw9m - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: org.apache.velocity:velocity-engine-parent
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Java / Kotlin (Maven)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
This is the only known vulnerability of this package.
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