# A potential Denial of Service issue in protobuf-java

Advisory record · `GHSA-wrvw-hg22-4m67`

- **Identifiers:** `GHSA-wrvw-hg22-4m67` · `CVE-2021-22569`
- **State:** Confirmed
- **Severity:** CVSS 7.5 High
- **Critical:** No
- **Weakness (CWE):** [CWE-696](https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/696.html)
- **Tags:** [CWE-696](https://agentprime.io/advisories/tag/cwe-696.md)
- **Published:** 7 Jan 2022
- **Updated:** 10 Sept 2026
- **Reviewed by a person:** No

Published by the GitHub Advisory Database at 7 Jan 2022, 22:31 UTC. agentprime has not analysed this yet, so whether it affects any app is not known.

## Affected packages

- `com.google.protobuf:protobuf-java` (Maven): affected `<3.16.1 || >=3.18.0, <3.18.2 || >=3.19.0, <3.19.2`; fixed in `3.16.1`, `3.18.2`, `3.19.2`
- `google-protobuf` (RubyGems): affected `<3.19.2`; fixed in `3.19.2`
- `com.google.protobuf:protobuf-kotlin` (Maven): affected `>=3.18.0, <3.18.2 || >=3.19.0, <3.19.2`; fixed in `3.18.2`, `3.19.2`

## Machine-written summary

Summary written by Claude Haiku from the source advisory. Not reviewed by a person.

> GHSA-wrvw-hg22-4m67 affects protobuf-java versions below 3.16.1, from 3.18.0 to below 3.18.2, and from 3.19.0 to below 3.19.2. Protobuf-kotlin and the google-protobuf gem (JRuby) are also affected. An attacker who can send a small crafted binary payload to an application that parses it can tie up the parser for minutes through repeated garbage collection pauses, causing denial of service. Upgrade protobuf-java to 3.16.1, 3.18.2, or 3.19.2, protobuf-kotlin to 3.18.2 or 3.19.2, and google-protobuf to 3.19.2.

Written 2 Nov 2026.

## Not analysed yet

We haven’t published our analysis of this Advisory yet. Once a person has reviewed it, this page will say what’s vulnerable, what has to be true for your app to be affected, and how to check.

## Severity and exploitation

- 7.5 High, CVSS 3.1: `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`, from CNA (Google)

- **CISA KEV:** Not listed.
- **EPSS:** 0.018, the 78th percentile, on 5 Nov 2026: FIRST’s estimate of the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

## Timeline

- 31 Oct 2026, 14:18 UTC: First seen by agentprime
- 31 Oct 2026, 14:18 UTC: [Confirmed by OSV](https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-wrvw-hg22-4m67)

## Sources

- [GitHub Advisory Database: GHSA-wrvw-hg22-4m67](https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-wrvw-hg22-4m67)
- [OSV: GHSA-wrvw-hg22-4m67](https://osv.dev/vulnerability/GHSA-wrvw-hg22-4m67)
- <https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/security/advisories/GHSA-wrvw-hg22-4m67>
- <https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-22569>
- <https://bugs.chromium.org/p/oss-fuzz/issues/detail?id=39330>
- <https://cloud.google.com/support/bulletins#gcp-2022-001>
- <https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf>
- <https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.html>
- <http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2022/01/12/4>
- <http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2022/01/12/7>

Facts on this page come from the GitHub Advisory Database (CC-BY 4.0), OSV and the other sources listed, as published. We don’t reproduce full advisory descriptions, which can contain exploit code.

## Check whether this affects you

A Match means an installed version is in the affected range above. Most don’t affect the app; agentprime hasn’t analysed this one yet.

- With the agentprime MCP server (<https://api.agentprime.io/mcp>), ask your agent to check the project: `check_lockfile` sends a lockfile, `check_packages` a list of installed packages, and both return the Matches and the upgrades that clear them. `get_advisory` returns this record. Setup: <https://agentprime.io/mcp.md>
- In a browser: <https://agentprime.io/check/> reads your lockfile in the browser, never uploading it.
- Whether it touches your code, with file and line: the Claude Code plugin, <https://agentprime.io/plugin.md>
- As JSON: <https://api.agentprime.io/v1/advisories/GHSA-wrvw-hg22-4m67>, or `POST https://api.agentprime.io/v1/match` with your packages (<https://agentprime.io/api.md>)

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The web page: <https://agentprime.io/advisories/GHSA-wrvw-hg22-4m67/>. Everything for agents: <https://agentprime.io/llms.txt>.