CVE-2021-3997
MEDIUMCVSS 5.5/10EPSS 1.56%
Last modified
CVE-2021-3997 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 5.5/10 on the CVSS scale. A flaw was found in systemd. An uncontrolled recursion in systemd-tmpfiles may lead to a denial of service at boot time when too many nested directories are created in /tmp.. EPSS estimates a 1.56% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.
Description
A flaw was found in systemd. An uncontrolled recursion in systemd-tmpfiles may lead to a denial of service at boot time when too many nested directories are created in /tmp.
Metrics
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness Enumeration
Affected Software
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Systemd Project | Systemd | >= 240, < 250.2 |
| Fedoraproject | Fedora | 34 |
| Fedoraproject | Fedora | 35 |
| Redhat | Enterprise Linux | 7.0 |
| Redhat | Enterprise Linux | 8.0 |
| Redhat | Enterprise Linux | 9.0 |
References
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-3997Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2024639Issue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory
- https://github.com/systemd/systemd/commit/5b1cf7a9be37e20133c0208005274ce4a5b5c6a1Patch, Third Party Advisory
- https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2022/01/10/2Exploit, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-3997Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2024639Issue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory
- https://github.com/systemd/systemd/commit/5b1cf7a9be37e20133c0208005274ce4a5b5c6a1Patch, Third Party Advisory
- https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2022/01/10/2Exploit, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
Timeline
- Published
- Last Modified
- Status
- Modified
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2021-3997?
A flaw was found in systemd. An uncontrolled recursion in systemd-tmpfiles may lead to a denial of service at boot time when too many nested directories are created in /tmp.
How severe is CVE-2021-3997?
CVE-2021-3997 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 1.56% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2021-3997?
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.
How Strix Helps
- How Strix found a critical auth bypass in etcdStrix autonomously discovered a critical authentication bypass in etcd, later designated CVE-2026-33413.
- Autonomous PentestingAI agents that find and validate exploitable vulnerabilities like this one across your applications.
- PR ReviewsPentest every pull request so vulnerable code is caught before it ships to production.
- AI Penetration TestingHow AI-driven penetration testing continuously covers your attack surface.
Related CVEs from 2021
- CVE-2021-3995A logic error was found in the libmount library of util-linu…5.5
- CVE-2021-3996A logic error was found in the libmount library of util-linu…5.5
- CVE-2021-39966There is an Uninitialized AOD driver structure in Smartphone…7.5
- CVE-2021-39967There is a Vulnerability of obtaining broadcast information …7.5
- CVE-2021-39968Changlian Blocklist has a Business Logic Errors vulnerabilit…7.5
- CVE-2021-39969There is an Unauthorized file access vulnerability in Smartp…7.5
- CVE-2021-39970HwPCAssistant has a Improper Input Validation vulnerability.…7.5
- CVE-2021-39971Password vault has a External Control of System or Configura…7.5
- CVE-2021-39972MyHuawei-App has a Exposure of Sensitive Information to an U…7.5
- CVE-2021-39973There is a Null pointer dereference in Smartphones.Successfu…7.5
- CVE-2021-39974There is an Out-of-bounds read in Smartphones.Successful exp…7.5
- CVE-2021-39975Hilinksvc has a Data Processing Errors vulnerability.Success…7.5
Are you affected by CVE-2021-3997?
Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.
Scan your code nowSource: NVD / NIST