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Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian

CVE-2021-20204

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-05-06
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A heap memory corruption problem (use after free) can be triggered in libgetdata v0.10.0 when processing maliciously crafted dirfile databases. This degrades the confidentiality, integrity and availability of third-party software that uses libgetdata as a library. This vulnerability may lead to arbitrary code execution or privilege escalation depending on input/skills of attacker.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

A use-after-free heap memory corruption vulnerability exists in libgetdata v0.10.0 when processing maliciously crafted dirfile databases. The vulnerability stems from improper memory management where memory is freed but still referenced, leading to heap corruption that can be exploited for arbitrary code execution.

MitigationUpdate libgetdata to the latest patched version. Until a patch is available, validate all dirfile database inputs before processing and run applications using libgetdata with least privilege to reduce impact of potential exploitation.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 9.0
FedoraOperating system
Affected:= 33= 34= 35
GetdataApplication
Affected:= 0.10.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check if libgetdata library is installed
    On Debian: dpkg -l | grep libgetdata. On Fedora: rpm -qa | grep getdata. Alternatively, search for libgetdata files: find /usr -name 'libgetdata*' 2>/dev/null
    Affected if libgetdata library files are found on the system
  2. Identify the installed libgetdata version
    On Debian: dpkg -s libgetdata0 or apt show libgetdata. On Fedora: rpm -qi getdata-libs. Or use: ldconfig -p | grep getdata to find the library and then check associated package info
    Affected if The installed version matches 0.10.0 or falls within the affected ranges (Debian 9, Fedora 33-35)
  3. Locate applications or services that link against libgetdata
    Search for binaries that depend on libgetdata: ldd $(which <binary>) 2>/dev/null | grep getdata, or check application documentation for dirfile processing capabilities. Common tools include gdcat, gdhead, or custom applications using libgetdata
    Affected if Applications processing dirfile databases are in use
  4. Identify if dirfile databases from untrusted sources are processed
    Review application logs, configuration, or code that handles .dirfile inputs. Check if user-supplied or network-received dirfile databases are processed without validation. Look for file inputs with .dat extension in dirfile format
    Affected if The application processes dirfile databases, especially from external or untrusted sources

You are affected if libgetdata version 0.10.0 is installed and your system processes dirfile databases, particularly from untrusted sources.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Update libgetdata to the latest patched version. Until a patch is available, validate all dirfile database inputs before processing and run applications using libgetdata with least privilege to reduce impact of potential exploitation.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to a version greater than 0.10.0 (e.g., 0.10.1 or latest stable release). For Debian, migrate to Debian 10/11 for full security support. For Fedora, apply all available updates.

  1. Identify the installed libgetdata version using: dpkg -l | grep getdata (Debian) or rpm -qa | grep getdata (Fedora)
  2. For Debian 9.0: Check for security updates via: apt-get update && apt-get upgrade libgetdata10 or upgrade to Debian 10/11 which contain patched versions
  3. For Fedora 33/34/35: Run: dnf update libgetdata to apply available security patches
  4. If using Getdata directly: Upgrade to the latest stable release (greater than 0.10.0) which contains the heap memory corruption fix
  5. Verify the fix by checking the version post-update: getdata-config --version
  6. Test any application that depends on libgetdata to ensure functionality is preserved
Caveat Review application compatibility with newer libgetdata versions before deploying in production environments

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Debian Linux Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
36.0 hours of engineering $6,400
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-20204 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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