CVE-2021-26642 | XpressEngine file upload vulnerability

When uploading an image file to a bulletin board developed with XpressEngine, a vulnerability in which an arbitrary file can be uploaded due to insufficient verification of the file. A remote attacker can use this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code on the server where the bulletin board is running.

Published: 2023-01-20 Last update: 2026-06-16 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2021-26642 is rated Moderate Risk (55/100): CVSS High severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 1.16%). Mandatory action: Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2021-26642

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 3.39% 1.16% -2.23%
2 2026-03-17 3.28% 3.39% +0.11%
3 2026-01-21 3.28%

Full EPSS history (19 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2021-26642

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
8.8 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
2.8 5.9 [email protected]
9.8 3.1 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
3.9 5.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2021-26642

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2021-26642

GHSA-8r5j-22j5-w4cm · Severity: critical · Ecosystem: composer — XpressEngine vulnerable to Unrestricted Upload of File with Dangerous Type

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2021-26642

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
xpressengine xpressengine < 3.0.14 cpe:2.3:a:xpressengine:xpressengine:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2021-26642

cvelogic Threat Intelligence