CVE-2021-29470
CVE-2021-29470 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Exiv2 with a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.7. 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-125.
Key facts
- Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 4.7)
- CVSS v2: 4.3
- EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (72nd percentile)
- Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
- Weakness: CWE-125
- Affected product: Exiv2
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
Exiv2 is a command-line utility and C++ library for reading, writing, deleting, and modifying the metadata of image files. An out-of-bounds read was found in Exiv2 versions v0.27.3 and earlier. The out-of-bounds read is triggered when Exiv2 is used to write metadata into a crafted image file. An attacker could potentially exploit the vulnerability to cause a denial of service by crashing Exiv2, if they can trick the victim into running Exiv2 on a crafted image file. Note that this bug is only triggered when writing the metadata, which is a less frequently used Exiv2 operation than reading the metadata. For example, to trigger the bug in the Exiv2 command-line application, you need to add an extra command-line argument such as insert. The bug is fixed in version v0.27.4.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2021-29470?
- Exiv2 is a command-line utility and C++ library for reading, writing, deleting, and modifying the metadata of image files. An out-of-bounds read was found in Exiv2 versions v0.27.3 and earlier. The out-of-bounds read is triggered when Exiv2 is used to write metadata into a crafted image file. An attacker could potentially exploit the vulnerability to cause a denial of service by crashing Exiv2, if they can trick the victim into running Exiv2 on a crafted image file. Note that this bug is only triggered when writing the metadata, which is a less frequently used Exiv2 operation than reading the metadata. For example, to trigger the bug in the Exiv2 command-line application, you need to add an extra command-line argument such as insert. The bug is fixed in version v0.27.4.
- How severe is CVE-2021-29470?
- CVE-2021-29470 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 4.7, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
- Is CVE-2021-29470 being actively exploited?
- It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (72nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- What products are affected by CVE-2021-29470?
- CVE-2021-29470 primarily affects Exiv2. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2021-29470?
- Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
- When was CVE-2021-29470 published?
- CVE-2021-29470 was published on 2021-04-23 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
- https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2/pull/1581
- https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2/security/advisories/GHSA-8949-hhfh-j7rj
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2XQT5F5IINTDYDAFGVGQZ7PMMLG7I5ZZ/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/JWZLDECIXXW3CCZ3RS4A3NG5X5VE4WZM/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/LBKWLTXM7IKZ4PVGKLUQVAVFAYGGF7QR/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/P2A5GMJEXQ5Q76JK6F6VKK5JYCLVFGKN/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202312-06
Affected products (3)
- cpe:2.3:a:exiv2:exiv2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:33:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:34:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
More vulnerabilities in Exiv2
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- CVE-2018-14046 — High (CVSS 8.8): Exiv2 0.26 has a heap-based buffer over-read in WebPImage::decodeChunks in webpimage.cpp.
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