How severe is CVE-2021-37622?

CVE-2021-37622 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-2021-37622 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-2021-37622?

CVE-2021-37622 primarily affects Exiv2. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-37622?

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

When was CVE-2021-37622 published?

CVE-2021-37622 was published on 2021-08-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-37622

CVE-2021-37622 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Exiv2 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)
CVSS v2: 4.3
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (62nd percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-835
Affected product: Exiv2
Published: 2021-08-09
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

Exiv2 is a command-line utility and C++ library for reading, writing, deleting, and modifying the metadata of image files. An infinite loop was found in Exiv2 versions v0.27.4 and earlier. The infinite loop is triggered when Exiv2 is used to modify the metadata of a crafted image file. An attacker could potentially exploit the vulnerability to cause a denial of service, if they can trick the victim into running Exiv2 on a crafted image file. Note that this bug is only triggered when deleting the IPTC data, which is a less frequently used Exiv2 operation that requires an extra command line option (`-d I rm`). The bug is fixed in version v0.27.5.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-37622?: Exiv2 is a command-line utility and C++ library for reading, writing, deleting, and modifying the metadata of image files. An infinite loop was found in Exiv2 versions v0.27.4 and earlier. The infinite loop is triggered when Exiv2 is used to modify the metadata of a crafted image file. An attacker could potentially exploit the vulnerability to cause a denial of service, if they can trick the victim into running Exiv2 on a crafted image file. Note that this bug is only triggered when deleting the IPTC data, which is a less frequently used Exiv2 operation that requires an extra command line option (`-d I rm`). The bug is fixed in version v0.27.5.
How severe is CVE-2021-37622?: CVE-2021-37622 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-2021-37622 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-2021-37622?: CVE-2021-37622 primarily affects Exiv2. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-37622?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2021-37622 published?: CVE-2021-37622 was published on 2021-08-09 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (4)

cpe:2.3:a:exiv2:exiv2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:33:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:34:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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