How severe is CVE-2021-33294?

CVE-2021-33294 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2021-33294 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (19th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-33294?

CVE-2021-33294 affects Elfutils Project Elfutils. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-33294?

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

When was CVE-2021-33294 published?

CVE-2021-33294 was published on 2023-07-18 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-33294

CVE-2021-33294 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Elfutils Project Elfutils with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5. 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-835.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.5)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (19th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-835
Affected product: Elfutils Project Elfutils
Published: 2023-07-18
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

In elfutils 0.183, an infinite loop was found in the function handle_symtab in readelf.c .Which allows attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via crafted file.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-33294?: In elfutils 0.183, an infinite loop was found in the function handle_symtab in readelf.c .Which allows attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via crafted file.
How severe is CVE-2021-33294?: CVE-2021-33294 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-33294 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (19th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-33294?: CVE-2021-33294 affects Elfutils Project Elfutils. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-33294?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2021-33294 published?: CVE-2021-33294 was published on 2023-07-18 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:elfutils_project:elfutils:0.183:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Elfutils Project Elfutils

CVE-2018-16402 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): libelf/elf_end.c in elfutils 0.173 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (double free and application…
CVE-2018-8769 — High (CVSS 7.8): elfutils 0.170 has a buffer over-read in the ebl_dynamic_tag_name function of libebl/ebldynamictagname.c because…
CVE-2014-0172 — Medium (CVSS 6.8): Integer overflow in the check_section function in dwarf_begin_elf.c in the libdw library, as used in elfutils 0.153 and…
CVE-2019-7149 — Medium (CVSS 6.5): A heap-based buffer over-read was discovered in the function read_srclines in dwarf_getsrclines.c in libdw in elfutils…
CVE-2019-7148 — Medium (CVSS 6.5): An attempted excessive memory allocation was discovered in the function read_long_names in elf_begin.c in libelf in…
CVE-2018-18520 — Medium (CVSS 6.5): An Invalid Memory Address Dereference exists in the function elf_end in libelf in elfutils through v0.174. Although…

All CVEs affecting Elfutils Project Elfutils →

Other CWE-835 (Loop with Unreachable Exit Condition (Infinite Loop)) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-24816 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Loop with Unreachable Exit Condition ('Infinite Loop') vulnerability in datavane tis…
CVE-2018-20784 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): In the Linux kernel before 4.20.2, kernel/sched/fair.c mishandles leaf cfs_rq's, which allows attackers to cause a…
CVE-2017-12997 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The LLDP parser in tcpdump before 4.9.2 could enter an infinite loop due to a bug in…
CVE-2017-12995 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The DNS parser in tcpdump before 4.9.2 could enter an infinite loop due to a bug in print-domain.c:ns_print().
CVE-2017-12990 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The ISAKMP parser in tcpdump before 4.9.2 could enter an infinite loop due to bugs in print-isakmp.c, several functions.
CVE-2026-31448 — Critical (CVSS 9.4): In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: avoid infinite loops caused by residual…

Browse all CWE-835 (Loop with Unreachable Exit Condition (Infinite Loop)) vulnerabilities →