# CVE-2021-22572: Data-transfer-project information disclosure via tmp directory

> Local attackers can read sensitive data from world-readable temporary files created by the Data Transfer Project library on Unix-like systems.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 29 Mar 2022
- **Updated:** 21 Apr 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-22c6-wcjm-qfjg, GHSA-hggf-qxmm-f4vw

## What is CVE-2021-22572?

CVE-2021-22572 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Google LLC Data-Transfer-Project, published on 29 Mar 2022. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

On unix-like systems, the system temporary directory is shared between all users on that system. The root cause is File.createTempFile creates files in the the system temporary directory with world readable permissions. Any sensitive information written to theses files is visible to all other local users on unix-like systems. We recommend upgrading past commit https://github.com/google/data-transfer-project/pull/969

Weakness: CWE-668 (Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere), CWE-377 (DEPRECATED: Insecure Temporary File)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-22572?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Google Data Transfer Project.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-22572?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-22572 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-22572 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-22572 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-22572 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-22572 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Google LLC Data-Transfer-Project, published on 29 Mar 2022. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-22572 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Google LLC Data-Transfer-Project. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-22572/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-22572/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-22572
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-22572
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-22572

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-22572/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.