CVE-2021-39227 | Fix prototype pollution in the zrender merge and clone helper methods

ZRender is a lightweight graphic library providing 2d draw for Apache ECharts. In versions prior to 5.2.1, using `merge` and `clone` helper methods in the `src/core/util.ts` module results in prototype pollution. It affects the popular data visualization library Apache ECharts, which uses and exports these two methods directly. The GitHub Security Advisory page for this vulnerability contains a proof of concept. This issue is patched in ZRender version 5.2.1. One workaround is available: Check if there is `__proto__` in the object keys. Omit it before using it as an parameter in these affected methods. Or in `echarts.util.merge` and `setOption` if project is using ECharts.

Published: 2021-09-17 Last update: 2026-06-17 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2021-39227 is rated Moderate Risk (49.6/100): CVSS Medium severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 1.35%). Core evidence: EPSS rose +1.08% over the last day, indicating growing attacker interest. 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-2021-39227

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 0.27% 1.35% +1.08%
2 2026-05-13 0.38% 0.27% -0.11%
3 2025-11-21 0.38%

Full EPSS history (15 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2021-39227

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
6.2 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
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:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
2.5 3.6 [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]
7.5 2.0 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:P)
Partial confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:P)
Partial integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:P)
Partial availability impact.
10.0 6.4 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2021-39227

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2021-39227

GHSA-fhv8-fx5f-7fxf · Severity: medium · Ecosystem: npm — Prototype Pollution in the merge and clone helper methods

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2021-39227

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
baidu zrender < 5.2.1 cpe:2.3:a:baidu:zrender:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2021-39227

cvelogic Threat Intelligence