CVE-2021-3478

Name: CVE-2021-3478
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2021-03-31T14:15:21.127+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

MEDIUMCVSS 5.5/10EPSS 0.96%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2021-3478 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 5.5/10 on the CVSS scale. There's a flaw in OpenEXR's scanline input file functionality in versions before 3.0.0-beta. An attacker able to submit a crafted file to be processed by OpenEXR could consume excessive system memory. EPSS estimates a 0.96% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

There's a flaw in OpenEXR's scanline input file functionality in versions before 3.0.0-beta. An attacker able to submit a crafted file to be processed by OpenEXR could consume excessive system memory. The greatest impact of this flaw 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

0.96%

57.0th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Openexr	Openexr	< 2.4.3
Openexr	Openexr	>= 2.5.0, < 2.5.4
Debian	Debian Linux	9.0
Debian	Debian Linux	10.0

References

https://bugs.chromium.org/p/oss-fuzz/issues/detail?id=27409Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1939160Issue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/07/msg00001.htmlThird Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/12/msg00022.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202107-27Third Party Advisory
https://bugs.chromium.org/p/oss-fuzz/issues/detail?id=27409Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1939160Issue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/07/msg00001.htmlThird Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/12/msg00022.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202107-27Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Mar 31, 2021
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-3478?

How severe is CVE-2021-3478?

CVE-2021-3478 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.96% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2021-3478?

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-2021-3478?

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

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST