CVE-2021-20284

Name: CVE-2021-20284
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2021-03-26T17:15:13.063+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

MEDIUMCVSS 5.5/10EPSS 1.29%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2021-20284 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 5.5/10 on the CVSS scale. A flaw was found in GNU Binutils 2.35.1, where there is a heap-based buffer overflow in _bfd_elf_slurp_secondary_reloc_section in elf.c due to the number of symbols not calculated correctly. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.. EPSS estimates a 1.29% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

A flaw was found in GNU Binutils 2.35.1, where there is a heap-based buffer overflow in _bfd_elf_slurp_secondary_reloc_section in elf.c due to the number of symbols not calculated correctly. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.5/10

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

EPSS Probability

1.29%

66.5th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Gnu	Binutils	2.35.1
Netapp	Cloud Backup	All versions
Netapp	Ontap Select Deploy Administration Utility	All versions

References

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1937784Exploit, Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202208-30Third Party Advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210521-0010/Third Party Advisory
https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=26931Exploit, Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1937784Exploit, Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202208-30Third Party Advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210521-0010/Third Party Advisory
https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=26931Exploit, Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Mar 26, 2021
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-20284?

How severe is CVE-2021-20284?

CVE-2021-20284 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 1.29% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2021-20284?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2021-20284?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST