How severe is CVE-2021-29623?

CVE-2021-29623 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 3.6, rated low severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity low, and availability none.

Is CVE-2021-29623 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (62nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-29623?

CVE-2021-29623 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-2021-29623?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2021-29623 published?

CVE-2021-29623 was published on 2021-05-13 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-29623

CVE-2021-29623 is a low-severity vulnerability in Exiv2 with a CVSS 3.x base score of 3.6. 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-908.

Key facts

Severity: Low (CVSS 3.x base score 3.6)
CVSS v2: 4.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (62nd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-908
Affected product: Exiv2
Published: 2021-05-13
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Exiv2 is a C++ library and a command-line utility to read, write, delete and modify Exif, IPTC, XMP and ICC image metadata. A read of uninitialized memory was found in Exiv2 versions v0.27.3 and earlier. Exiv2 is a command-line utility and C++ library for reading, writing, deleting, and modifying the metadata of image files. The read of uninitialized memory is triggered when Exiv2 is used to read the metadata of a crafted image file. An attacker could potentially exploit the vulnerability to leak a few bytes of stack memory, if they can trick the victim into running Exiv2 on a crafted image file. The bug is fixed in version v0.27.4.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-29623?: Exiv2 is a C++ library and a command-line utility to read, write, delete and modify Exif, IPTC, XMP and ICC image metadata. A read of uninitialized memory was found in Exiv2 versions v0.27.3 and earlier. Exiv2 is a command-line utility and C++ library for reading, writing, deleting, and modifying the metadata of image files. The read of uninitialized memory is triggered when Exiv2 is used to read the metadata of a crafted image file. An attacker could potentially exploit the vulnerability to leak a few bytes of stack memory, if they can trick the victim into running Exiv2 on a crafted image file. The bug is fixed in version v0.27.4.
How severe is CVE-2021-29623?: CVE-2021-29623 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 3.6, rated low severity. It is exploitable over local access with high attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is low, integrity low, and availability none.
Is CVE-2021-29623 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (62nd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-29623?: CVE-2021-29623 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-2021-29623?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2021-29623 published?: CVE-2021-29623 was published on 2021-05-13 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

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

CVE-2025-26623 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Exiv2 is a C++ library and a command-line utility to read, write, delete and modify Exif, IPTC, XMP and ICC image…
CVE-2018-11531 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Exiv2 0.26 has a heap-based buffer overflow in getData in preview.cpp.
CVE-2023-44398 — High (CVSS 8.8): Exiv2 is a C++ library and a command-line utility to read, write, delete and modify Exif, IPTC, XMP and ICC image…
CVE-2019-9144 — High (CVSS 8.8): An issue was discovered in Exiv2 0.27. There is infinite recursion at BigTiffImage::printIFD in the file…
CVE-2019-9143 — High (CVSS 8.8): An issue was discovered in Exiv2 0.27. There is infinite recursion at Exiv2::Image::printTiffStructure in the file…
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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CVE-2023-24941 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Windows Network File System Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
CVE-2022-26437 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In httpclient, there is a possible out of bounds write due to uninitialized data. This could lead to remote escalation…
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