dbcve.org
Debian LinuxOperating system · Debian

CVE-2021-22570

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-01-26
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.15.0 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Nullptr dereference when a null char is present in a proto symbol. The symbol is parsed incorrectly, leading to an unchecked call into the proto file's name during generation of the resulting error message. Since the symbol is incorrectly parsed, the file is nullptr. We recommend upgrading to version 3.15.0 or greater.

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 nullptr dereference vulnerability exists in Protocol Buffers where a null character in a proto symbol causes incorrect symbol parsing. The incorrectly parsed symbol results in a nullptr file pointer being passed to error message generation code that lacks a null check, causing a denial of service via crash.

MitigationUpgrade protobuf to version 3.15.0 or greater to patch the nullptr dereference in symbol parsing and error handling.

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= 10.0= 11.0
FedoraOperating system
Affected:= 34= 35= 36
MySQLDatabase / datastore
Affected:<= 8.0.28
ProtobufApplication
Affected:< 3.15.0
Active Iq Unified ManagerApplication
Affected:all versions
Oncommand InsightApplication
Affected:all versions
Oncommand Workflow AutomationApplication
Affected:all versions
SnapcenterApplication
Affected:all versions

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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. Identify if protobuf library is installed
    Run 'dpkg -l | grep -i protobuf' on Debian/Ubuntu systems or 'rpm -qa | grep -i protobuf' on RHEL/Fedora systems. Also check for protobuf development files in common locations like /usr/lib/ and /usr/include/.
    Affected if The protobuf library or its development packages are found on the system
  2. Check installed protobuf version
    Run 'protoc --version' or 'dpkg -l | grep protobuf' on Debian systems, 'rpm -qa | grep protobuf' on Fedora/RedHat systems. For MySQL, run 'mysql --version' to get the MySQL version which bundles protobuf.
    Affected if The installed version is less than 3.15.0 (for protobuf) or the MySQL version is 8.0.28 or earlier
  3. Identify NetApp products using protobuf
    Check if any of these NetApp products are installed: Active IQ Unified Manager, OnCommand Insight, OnCommand Workflow Automation, or SnapCenter. Use 'dpkg -l' or 'rpm -qa' to search for these product package names.
    Affected if Any of the listed NetApp products are present on the system (all versions are affected)
  4. Verify library version for linked applications
    For applications that link against protobuf, use 'ldd <application_binary> | grep protobuf' to identify protobuf linkage, then check the library file version with 'ls -l /usr/lib/libprotobuf*' or similar paths.
    Affected if The linked protobuf library version is below 3.15.0

The environment is affected if protobuf library version is below 3.15.0, or MySQL version is 8.0.28 or earlier, or any NetApp product from the list is installed, or protobuf packages from Debian 9/10/11 or Fedora 34/35/36 are present.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 3.15.0 or later
Fixed in 3.15.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade protobuf to version 3.15.0 or greater to patch the nullptr dereference in symbol parsing and error handling.

Recommended fix High confidence

Protobuf 3.15.0 or greater (or vendor-specific patched versions for downstream products)

  1. Identify all Protobuf library installations in your environment (protobuf binaries, libprotobuf development packages, and any applications embedding protobuf)
  2. For Protobuf C++: Upgrade the protobuf library to version 3.15.0 or later by recompiling from source or installing the patched package for your distribution
  3. For Debian systems: Run 'apt-get update && apt-get install libprotobuf-dev' or wait for security updates addressing CVE-2021-22570
  4. For Fedora systems: Run 'dnf update protobuf' or 'dnf update protobuf-devel' to obtain the patched version
  5. For MySQL: Upgrade MySQL to a version newer than 8.0.28 which bundles a fixed protobuf library
  6. For other affected products (Active IQ Unified Manager, Oncommand Insight, Oncommand Workflow Automation, Snapcenter): Contact vendor for protobuf component patches or security updates
  7. Verify the upgrade by checking protobuf version: 'protoc --version' should show 3.15.0 or higher
  8. Reboot or restart services using protobuf to load the fixed library
Caveat Check release notes for compatibility notes between protobuf versions; ensure dependent applications are rebuilt against the new library version if using custom builds

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

Fix this in Debian Linux Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,570
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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-2021-22570 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data