CVE-2021-3999

Name: CVE-2021-3999
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2022-08-24T16:15:09.077+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

HIGHCVSS 7.8/10EPSS 0.73%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2021-3999 is a high-severity vulnerability rated 7.8/10 on the CVSS scale. A flaw was found in glibc. An off-by-one buffer overflow and underflow in getcwd() may lead to memory corruption when the size of the buffer is exactly 1. EPSS estimates a 0.73% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

A flaw was found in glibc. An off-by-one buffer overflow and underflow in getcwd() may lead to memory corruption when the size of the buffer is exactly 1. A local attacker who can control the input buffer and size passed to getcwd() in a setuid program could use this flaw to potentially execute arbitrary code and escalate their privileges on the system.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

7.8/10

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

EPSS Probability

0.73%

49.4th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Gnu	Glibc	< 2.31
Debian	Debian Linux	10.0
Debian	Debian Linux	11.0
Netapp	E-Series Performance Analyzer	All versions
Netapp	Nfs Plug-In	All versions
Netapp	Ontap Select Deploy Administration Utility	All versions
Netapp	H300s Firmware	All versions
Netapp	H500s Firmware	All versions
Netapp	H700s Firmware	All versions
Netapp	H410s Firmware	All versions
Netapp	H410c Firmware	All versions

References

https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-3999Third Party Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2024637Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/10/msg00021.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2021-3999Third Party Advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20221104-0001/Third Party Advisory
https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=28769Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=glibc.git%3Bh=23e0e8f5f1fb5ed150253d986ecccdc90c2dcd5e
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2022/01/24/4Exploit, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-3999Third Party Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2024637Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/10/msg00021.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2021-3999Third Party Advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20221104-0001/Third Party Advisory
https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=28769Issue Tracking, Third Party Advisory
https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=glibc.git%3Bh=23e0e8f5f1fb5ed150253d986ecccdc90c2dcd5e
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2022/01/24/4Exploit, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory

Timeline

Published: Aug 24, 2022
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-3999?

How severe is CVE-2021-3999?

CVE-2021-3999 has a CVSS score of 7.8/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.73% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2021-3999?

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-2021-3999?

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

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST