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NVD / CVE Program· CNA GitHub_M

CVE-2021-37616: Null pointer dereference in Exiv2::Internal::resolveLens0x8ff

MediumCVSS 5.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 22/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 1% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 64.2% of all records.
  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. No account or password is required. A user must open a link or visit a page. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: exiv2 (Alpine:v3.14) 0.27.5-r0; exiv2 (Debian:12) 0.27.5-1.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to exiv2 (Alpine:v3.14) 0.27.5-r0; exiv2 (Debian:12) 0.27.5-1 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

Exiv2 is a command-line utility and C++ library for reading, writing, deleting, and modifying the metadata of image files. A null pointer dereference was found in Exiv2 versions v0.27.4 and earlier. The null pointer dereference is triggered when Exiv2 is used to print 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 printing the interpreted (translated) data, which is a less frequently used Exiv2 operation that requires an extra command line option (`-p t` or `-P t`). The bug is fixed in version v0.27.5.

Published
Aug 9, 2021
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
1.0% · 64th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

22

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
22 / 40 · 5.5 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 1.0%

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
5.5
CNA · GitHub_M
5.5
agree

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2021-37616

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
exiv2exiv2
fedoraprojectfedora

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (GitHub_M). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Exiv2 exiv2

    • <= 0.27.4affected

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • exiv2 exiv2up to 0.27.4 inclusive
  • fedoraproject fedora33
  • fedoraproject fedora34

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Alpine:v3.14exiv2before 0.27.5-r00.27.5-r0
Debian:12exiv2before 0.27.5-10.27.5-1

Same product

exiv2: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2018-11531Exiv2 0.26 has a heap-based buffer overflow in getData in preview.cpp.
    40Plan
  • CVE-2019-9144An issue was discovered in Exiv2 0.27.
    36Monitor
  • CVE-2019-9143An issue was discovered in Exiv2 0.27.
    36Monitor

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2021-34334Aug 9, 2021 · Denial of service due to integer overflow in loop counter
    22Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2021-37623Aug 9, 2021 · Denial of service due to infinite loop in JpegBase::printStructure (#2)
    22Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2021-37618Aug 9, 2021 · Out-of-bounds read in Exiv2::Jp2Image::printStructure
    22Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
alpine:exiv20.27.5-r0 · Alpine:v3.14Package registry (OSV)
debian:exiv20.27.5-1 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

Not on record for this CVE: EPSS history · researcher credit · variant or chain candidate · public bounty program.

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • A user must open a link or visit a page.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
none
Integrity
none
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
None
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-476 · NULL Pointer Dereference

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.

References

Show all references (4 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records