CVE-2022-33980 | Apache Commons Configuration insecure interpolation defaults

Apache Commons Configuration performs variable interpolation, allowing properties to be dynamically evaluated and expanded. The standard format for interpolation is "${prefix:name}", where "prefix" is used to locate an instance of org.apache.commons.configuration2.interpol.Lookup that performs the interpolation. Starting with version 2.4 and continuing through 2.7, the set of default Lookup instances included interpolators that could result in arbitrary code execution or contact with remote servers. These lookups are: - "script" - execute expressions using the JVM script execution engine (javax.script) - "dns" - resolve dns records - "url" - load values from urls, including from remote servers Applications using the interpolation defaults in the affected versions may be vulnerable to remote code execution or unintentional contact with remote servers if untrusted configuration values are used. Users are recommended to upgrade to Apache Commons Configuration 2.8.0, which disables the problematic interpolators by default.

Published: 2022-07-06 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2022-33980 is rated High Risk (73/100): CVSS Critical severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 86.66%, 99th percentile). Core evidence: EPSS ranks this CVE among the most likely to be exploited in the near term. Mandatory action: High exploitation likelihood—assess exposure and prioritize 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-2022-33980

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 2026-01-15 87.66% 86.66% -1.00%
2 2025-11-21 89.59% 87.66% -1.93%
3 2025-11-18 89.59%

Full EPSS history (35 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2022-33980

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
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-2022-33980

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2022-33980

GHSA-xj57-8qj4-c4m6 · Severity: critical · Ecosystem: maven — Code injection in Apache Commons Configuration

OS Trackers for CVE-2022-33980

vendor priority summary link
debian not yet assigned CVE-2022-33980 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (commons-configuration2), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2022-33980
redhat medium https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2022-33980
suse high https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2022-33980/
ubuntu medium CVE-2022-33980 medium priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (commons-configuration2), 13 status rows across 13 suites (bionic, focal, jammy, kinetic, lunar, mantic, noble, oracular, plucky, questing, trusty, upstream, xenial): not-affected 7, needs-triage 3, DNE 2, released 1. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2022-33980

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2022-33980

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
apache commons_configuration >= 2.4, < 2.8 cpe:2.3:a:apache:commons_configuration:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
netapp snapcenter cpe:2.3:a:netapp:snapcenter:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
debian debian_linux 11.0 cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2022-33980

cvelogic Threat Intelligence