CVE-2021-39168

CRITICALNVD 10.010.0—
EchelonGraph scoreMEDIUM confidence

This critical-severity CVE scores 10.0 under NVD CVSS v3. EPSS exploit probability: 1.6%, top 27% of all CVEs by exploit prediction. GitHub Security Advisory data not yet ingested — confidence will rise once GHSA publishes (typical lag: hours to days for open-source ecosystem CVEs; never for infrastructure-only CVEs).

Triggered by: NVD CVSS baseline
Sources: epss, nvd
Trending — 3 sources updated this week
10.0
EchelonGraph verdictPlan a fixSerious severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet.
  • High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
CISA-KEV: Not listedEPSS: 2%CVSS: 10.0Exploit: NoneExposed: 0

No vendor fix yet — apply a workaround or compensating control (WAF / firewall / segmentation) and watch for a patch.

OpenZepplin is a library for smart contract development. In affected versions a vulnerability in TimelockController allowed an actor with the executor role to escalate privileges. Further details about the vulnerability will be disclosed at a later date. As a workaround revoke the executor role from accounts not strictly under the team's control. We recommend revoking all executors that are not also proposers. When applying this mitigation, ensure there is at least one proposer and executor remaining.

CVSS v3
10.0
EG Score
10.0(medium)
EG Risk
50(Track)
EG Risk 50/100SSVC: Track

EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).

How it’s computed
Severity100% × 45%
Exploitation2% × 40%
Automatability30% × 15%
Action: Routine — remediate on your standard cadence.
EPSS
73.1%
KEV
Not listed

Published

August 27, 2021

Last Modified

November 21, 2024

Advisory Details (3)

Auto-updated Jul 18, 2026
Patch available. Sources: github, github_commit.
github_commit Patch Available

commit cec4f2ef5749 (OpenZeppelin/openzeppelin-contracts)

Patch available: OpenZeppelin/openzeppelin-contracts v4.9.1 (contains commit cec4f2ef5749)

https://github.com/OpenZeppelin/openzeppelin-contracts/commit/cec4f2ef57495d8b1742d62846da212515d99dd5
generic

openzeppelin-contracts/CHANGELOG.md at master · OpenZeppelin/openzeppelin-contracts · GitHub

https://github.com/OpenZeppelin/openzeppelin-contracts/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md#431
github Patch Available

TimelockController vulnerability in OpenZeppelin Contracts · Advisory · OpenZeppelin/openzeppelin-contracts-upgradeable · GitHub

https://github.com/OpenZeppelin/openzeppelin-contracts-upgradeable/security/advisories/GHSA-vrw4-w73r-6mm8

Affected Packages

(1 across 1 ecosystem)
npm(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFixed inDependents
@openzeppelin/contracts-upgradeable—3.4.2—

Weakness Classification(1)

MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 15× in last 7d / 47× in last 30d)

Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.

  1. 2026-07-23 02:03 UTCEG score recompute
  2. 2026-07-22 22:50 UTCEG score recompute
  3. 2026-07-22 14:06 UTCEPSS rescore
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  5. 2026-07-21 15:22 UTCEPSS rescore
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  10. 2026-07-19 02:27 UTCEPSS rescore
  11. 2026-07-18 13:29 UTCOSV refresh
  12. 2026-07-18 10:02 UTCEPSS rescore
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  1. 2026-07-07 13:43 UTCEPSS rescore
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  11. 2026-06-30 17:00 UTCOSV refresh
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  37. 2026-06-12 23:37 UTCOSV refresh
  38. 2026-06-12 23:10 UTCEPSS rescore
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  40. 2026-06-11 13:58 UTCEPSS rescore
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  50. 2026-06-05 22:45 UTCEPSS rescore
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  71. 2026-05-26 11:22 UTCEG score recompute
  72. 2026-05-26 07:17 UTCEPSS rescore
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Related CVEs(same CWE)

Frequently asked(5)

What is CVE-2021-39168?
CVE-2021-39168 is a critical vulnerability published on August 27, 2021. OpenZepplin is a library for smart contract development. In affected versions a vulnerability in TimelockController allowed an actor with the executor role to escalate privileges. Further details about the vulnerability will be disclosed at a later date. As a workaround revoke the executor role…
When was CVE-2021-39168 disclosed?
CVE-2021-39168 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on August 27, 2021, with the most recent update on November 21, 2024. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.
Is CVE-2021-39168 actively exploited?
CVE-2021-39168 is not currently on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. FIRST EPSS estimates a 73.1% percentile likelihood of exploitation in the next 30 days — higher percentiles indicate greater predicted risk.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-39168?
CVE-2021-39168 has a CVSS v3 base score of 10.0 (NVD).
How do I remediate CVE-2021-39168?
Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2021-39168, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.

Dependency Blast Radius

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