How severe is CVE-2021-3479?

CVE-2021-3479 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-2021-3479 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (59th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-3479?

CVE-2021-3479 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-2021-3479?

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

When was CVE-2021-3479 published?

CVE-2021-3479 was published on 2021-03-31 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-3479

CVE-2021-3479 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Openexr 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-400.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.5)
CVSS v2: 4.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (59th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-400
Affected product: Openexr
Published: 2021-03-31
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

There's a flaw in OpenEXR's Scanline API functionality in versions before 3.0.0-beta. An attacker who is able to submit a crafted file to be processed by OpenEXR could trigger excessive consumption of memory, resulting in an impact to system availability.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-3479?: There's a flaw in OpenEXR's Scanline API functionality in versions before 3.0.0-beta. An attacker who is able to submit a crafted file to be processed by OpenEXR could trigger excessive consumption of memory, resulting in an impact to system availability.
How severe is CVE-2021-3479?: CVE-2021-3479 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-2021-3479 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (59th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-3479?: CVE-2021-3479 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-2021-3479?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2021-3479 published?: CVE-2021-3479 was published on 2021-03-31 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (3)

cpe:2.3:a:openexr:openexr:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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-2021-23169 — High (CVSS 8.8): A heap-buffer overflow was found in the copyIntoFrameBuffer function of OpenEXR in versions before 3.0.1. An attacker…

All CVEs affecting Openexr →

Other CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-46775 — Critical (CVSS 9.9): Vulnerability in Oracle REST Data Services (component: Core). Supported versions that are affected are 24.2.0-26.1.0.…
CVE-2025-61303 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Hatching Triage Sandbox Windows 10 build 2004 (2025-08-14) and Windows 10 LTSC 2021(2025-08-14) contains a…
CVE-2025-43193 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.6, macOS Sonoma 14.7.7,…
CVE-2025-24269 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.4. An app may be able to…
CVE-2025-24264 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in Safari 18.4, iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4,…
CVE-2025-24260 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): The issue was addressed with improved memory handling. This issue is fixed in macOS Sequoia 15.4, macOS Sonoma 14.7.5,…

Browse all CWE-400 (Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) vulnerabilities →