How severe is CVE-2021-23169?

CVE-2021-23169 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2021-23169 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-23169?

CVE-2021-23169 primarily affects Openexr. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-23169?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2021-23169 published?

CVE-2021-23169 was published on 2021-06-08 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-23169

CVE-2021-23169 is a high-severity vulnerability in Openexr with a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-787.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 8.8)
CVSS v2: 6.8
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (81st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-787
Affected product: Openexr
Published: 2021-06-08
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

A heap-buffer overflow was found in the copyIntoFrameBuffer function of OpenEXR in versions before 3.0.1. An attacker could use this flaw to execute arbitrary code with the permissions of the user running the application compiled against OpenEXR.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-23169?: A heap-buffer overflow was found in the copyIntoFrameBuffer function of OpenEXR in versions before 3.0.1. An attacker could use this flaw to execute arbitrary code with the permissions of the user running the application compiled against OpenEXR.
How severe is CVE-2021-23169?: CVE-2021-23169 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 8.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-23169 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-23169?: CVE-2021-23169 primarily affects Openexr. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-23169?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2021-23169 published?: CVE-2021-23169 was published on 2021-06-08 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (3)

cpe:2.3:a:openexr:openexr:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:33:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:34:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Openexr

CVE-2026-42217 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): OpenEXR provides the specification and reference implementation of the EXR file format, an image storage format for the…
CVE-2026-42216 — Critical (CVSS 9.1): OpenEXR provides the specification and reference implementation of the EXR file format, an image storage format for the…
CVE-2025-48072 — Critical (CVSS 9.1): OpenEXR provides the specification and reference implementation of the EXR file format, an image storage format for the…
CVE-2023-5841 — Critical (CVSS 9.1): Due to a failure in validating the number of scanline samples of a OpenEXR file containing deep scanline data, Academy…
CVE-2026-41142 — High (CVSS 8.8): OpenEXR provides the specification and reference implementation of the EXR file format, an image storage format for the…
CVE-2017-9115 — High (CVSS 8.8): In OpenEXR 2.2.0, an invalid write of size 2 in the = operator function in half.h could cause the application to crash…

All CVEs affecting Openexr →

Other CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-42369 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): GV-VMS V20 is a Video Monitoring Software used to gather the feeds of many surveillance cameras and manage other…
CVE-2026-4746 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Out-of-bounds Write vulnerability in timeplus-io proton (base/poco/Foundation/src‎ modules). This vulnerability is…
CVE-2025-43300 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An out-of-bounds write issue was addressed with improved bounds checking. This issue is fixed in iOS 15.8.5 and iPadOS…
CVE-2025-24201 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An out-of-bounds write issue was addressed with improved checks to prevent unauthorized actions. This issue is fixed in…
CVE-2024-42479 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): llama.cpp provides LLM inference in C/C++. The unsafe `data` pointer member in the `rpc_tensor` structure can cause…
CVE-2024-39791 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Stack-based buffer overflow vulnerabilities affecting Vonets industrial wifi bridge relays and wifi bridge…

Browse all CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write) vulnerabilities →