How severe is CVE-2021-31523?

CVE-2021-31523 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2021-31523 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (24th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-31523?

CVE-2021-31523 affects Xscreensaver Project Xscreensaver. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-31523?

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-2021-31523 published?

CVE-2021-31523 was published on 2021-04-21 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-31523

CVE-2021-31523 is a high-severity vulnerability in Xscreensaver Project Xscreensaver with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8. 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-269.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.8)
CVSS v2: 7.2
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (24th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-269
Affected product: Xscreensaver Project Xscreensaver
Published: 2021-04-21
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The Debian xscreensaver 5.42+dfsg1-1 package for XScreenSaver has cap_net_raw enabled for the /usr/libexec/xscreensaver/sonar file, which allows local users to gain privileges because this is arguably incompatible with the design of the Mesa 3D Graphics library dependency.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-31523?: The Debian xscreensaver 5.42+dfsg1-1 package for XScreenSaver has cap_net_raw enabled for the /usr/libexec/xscreensaver/sonar file, which allows local users to gain privileges because this is arguably incompatible with the design of the Mesa 3D Graphics library dependency.
How severe is CVE-2021-31523?: CVE-2021-31523 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.8, rated high severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-31523 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (24th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-31523?: CVE-2021-31523 affects Xscreensaver Project Xscreensaver. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-31523?: 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-2021-31523 published?: CVE-2021-31523 was published on 2021-04-21 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:xscreensaver_project:xscreensaver:5.42\+dfsg1-1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Xscreensaver Project Xscreensaver

CVE-2011-2187 — High (CVSS 7.8): xscreensaver before 5.14 crashes during activation and leaves the screen unlocked when in Blank Only Mode and when DPMS…
CVE-2021-34557 — Medium (CVSS 4.6): XScreenSaver 5.45 can be bypassed if the machine has more than ten disconnectable video outputs. A buffer overflow in…
CVE-2015-8025 — Low (CVSS 2.1): driver/subprocs.c in XScreenSaver before 5.34 does not properly perform an internal consistency check, which allows…

All CVEs affecting Xscreensaver Project Xscreensaver →

Other CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-31852 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Jellyfin is an open-source media system. The code-quality.yml GitHub Actions workflow in jellyfin/jellyfin-ios is…
CVE-2025-20282 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): A vulnerability in an internal API of Cisco ISE and Cisco ISE-PIC could allow an unauthenticated, remote attacker to…
CVE-2025-0505 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): On Arista CloudVision systems (virtual or physical on-premise deployments), Zero Touch Provisioning can be used to gain…
CVE-2023-48418 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): In checkDebuggingDisallowed of DeviceVersionFragment.java, there is a possible way to access adb before SUW…
CVE-2023-48419 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): An attacker in the wifi vicinity of a target Google Home can spy on the victim, resulting in Elevation of Privilege
CVE-2023-31273 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Protection mechanism failure in some Intel DCM software before version 5.2 may allow an unauthenticated user to…

Browse all CWE-269 (Improper Privilege Management) vulnerabilities →