How severe is CVE-2021-38291?

CVE-2021-38291 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2021-38291 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (84th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2021-38291?

CVE-2021-38291 primarily affects Ffmpeg. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2021-38291?

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-2021-38291 published?

CVE-2021-38291 was published on 2021-08-12 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2021-38291

CVE-2021-38291 is a high-severity vulnerability in Ffmpeg with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5. 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-617.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.5)
CVSS v2: 5.0
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (84th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-617
Affected product: Ffmpeg
Published: 2021-08-12
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

FFmpeg version (git commit de8e6e67e7523e48bb27ac224a0b446df05e1640) suffers from a an assertion failure at src/libavutil/mathematics.c.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2021-38291?: FFmpeg version (git commit de8e6e67e7523e48bb27ac224a0b446df05e1640) suffers from a an assertion failure at src/libavutil/mathematics.c.
How severe is CVE-2021-38291?: CVE-2021-38291 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2021-38291 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (84th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2021-38291?: CVE-2021-38291 primarily affects Ffmpeg. In total, 4 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2021-38291?: 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-2021-38291 published?: CVE-2021-38291 was published on 2021-08-12 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (4)

cpe:2.3:a:ffmpeg:ffmpeg:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

More vulnerabilities in Ffmpeg

CVE-2013-0864 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The gif_copy_img_rect function in libavcodec/gifdec.c in FFmpeg before 1.1.2 performs an incorrect calculation for an…
CVE-2013-4265 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The av_reallocp_array function in libavutil/mem.c in FFmpeg before 2.0.1 has an unspecified impact and remote vectors…
CVE-2013-0873 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The read_header function in libavcodec/shorten.c in FFmpeg before 1.1.3 allows remote attackers to have an unspecified…
CVE-2013-0872 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The swr_init function in libswresample/swresample.c in FFmpeg before 1.1.3 allows remote attackers to have an…
CVE-2011-3937 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): The H.263 codec (libavcodec/h263dec.c) in FFmpeg 0.7.x before 0.7.12, 0.8.x before 0.8.11, and unspecified versions…
CVE-2012-2804 — Critical (CVSS 10.0): Unspecified vulnerability in libavcodec/indeo3.c in FFmpeg before 0.11 and Libav 0.8.x before 0.8.5 has unknown impact…

All CVEs affecting Ffmpeg →

Other CWE-617 (Reachable Assertion) vulnerabilities

CVE-2020-3615 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): Valid deauth/disassoc frames is dropped in case if RMF is enabled and some rouge peer keep on sending rogue…
CVE-2019-9795 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): A vulnerability where type-confusion in the IonMonkey just-in-time (JIT) compiler could potentially be used by…
CVE-2026-31739 — High (CVSS 8.8): In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: crypto: tegra - Add missing CRYPTO_ALG_ASYNC The…
CVE-2020-12417 — High (CVSS 8.8): Due to confusion about ValueTags on JavaScript Objects, an object may pass through the type barrier, resulting in…
CVE-2020-6623 — High (CVSS 8.8): stb stb_truetype.h through 1.22 has an assertion failure in stbtt__cff_get_index.
CVE-2020-6619 — High (CVSS 8.8): stb stb_truetype.h through 1.22 has an assertion failure in stbtt__buf_seek.

Browse all CWE-617 (Reachable Assertion) vulnerabilities →