CVE-2021-29427

HIGH

Gradle 5.1-7.0 - Dependency Poisoning and Information Disclosure via Repository Content Filter Bypass

Title source: llm
STIX 2.1

Exploitation Summary

EIP tracks 1 public exploit for CVE-2021-29427. PoCs published by arsalanraja987.

AI-analyzed exploit summary This repository contains a functional PoC demonstrating CVE-2021-29427, which involves unsafe plugin downloading from untrusted sources in Gradle. It includes both vulnerable and safe implementations to highlight the vulnerability and mitigation.

Description

In Gradle from version 5.1 and before version 7.0 there is a vulnerability which can lead to information disclosure and/or dependency poisoning. Repository content filtering is a security control Gradle introduced to help users specify what repositories are used to resolve specific dependencies. This feature was introduced in the wake of the "A Confusing Dependency" blog post. In some cases, Gradle may ignore content filters and search all repositories for dependencies. This only occurs when repository content filtering is used from within a `pluginManagement` block in a settings file. This may change how dependencies are resolved for Gradle plugins and build scripts. For builds that are vulnerable, there are two risks: 1) Information disclosure: Gradle could make dependency requests to repositories outside your organization and leak internal package identifiers. 2) Dependency poisoning/Dependency confusion: Gradle could download a malicious binary from a repository outside your organization due to name squatting. For a full example and more details refer to the referenced GitHub Security Advisory. The problem has been patched and released with Gradle 7.0. Users relying on this feature should upgrade their build as soon as possible. As a workaround, users may use a company repository which has the right rules for fetching packages from public repositories, or use project level repository content filtering, inside `buildscript.repositories`. This option is available since Gradle 5.1 when the feature was introduced.

Exploits (1)

nomisec WORKING POC
by arsalanraja987 · poc
https://github.com/arsalanraja987/gradle-cve-2021-29427-demo

This repository contains a functional PoC demonstrating CVE-2021-29427, which involves unsafe plugin downloading from untrusted sources in Gradle. It includes both vulnerable and safe implementations to highlight the vulnerability and mitigation.

Classification
Working Poc 90%
Attack Type
Other
Complexity
Trivial
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Gradle (versions affected by CVE-2021-29427)
No auth needed
Prerequisites: Access to a target system where the vulnerable Gradle version is used · Ability to host a malicious plugin on an untrusted repository
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 18, 2026 Full analysis →

References (2)

Core 2
Core References
Release Notes, Vendor Advisory x_refsource_misc
https://docs.gradle.org/7.0/release-notes.html#security-advisories
Exploit, Third Party Advisory x_refsource_confirm
https://github.com/gradle/gradle/security/advisories/GHSA-jvmj-rh6q-x395

Scores

CVSS v3 8.0
EPSS 0.0131
EPSS Percentile 66.7%
Attack Vector NETWORK
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

Details

CWE
CWE-829
Status published
Products (2)
gradle/gradle 5.1 - 7.0
quarkus/quarkus < 2.2.3
Published Apr 13, 2021
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026