FedoraOperating system · Fedoraproject
CVE-2021-23169
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 · uneditedA heap-buffer overflow was found in the copyIntoFrameBuffer function of OpenEXR in versions before 3.0.1. An attacker could use this flaw to execute arbitrary code with the permissions of the user running the application compiled against OpenEXR.
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 · high confidenceA heap-buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the copyIntoFrameBuffer function of OpenEXR in versions prior to 3.0.1. The flaw allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code by exploiting the buffer overflow when processing maliciously crafted OpenEXR image files.
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
FedoraOperating system
= 33= 34< 3.0.1CVSS 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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Locate OpenEXR library installationRun 'ldconfig -p | grep -i openexr' on Linux to find the libOpenEXR shared library, or check package manager with 'rpm -qa | grep -i openexr' (Fedora) or 'dpkg -l | grep -i openexr' (Debian-based)Affected if No OpenEXR library is found - the system is not affected
-
Identify installed OpenEXR versionRun 'rpm -q --queryformat '%{VERSION}-%{RELEASE}' openexr' on Fedora, or use 'pkg-config --modversion OpenEXR' if available, or check the library file directly with 'strings /path/to/libOpenEXR.so | grep -E "^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$"'Affected if Version is less than 3.0.1 (e.g., 3.0.0, 2.5.x, etc.) - the system is affected
-
Determine if OpenEXR processing is enabledCheck for applications or scripts that use OpenEXR - look for tools like 'exrinfo', 'exrheader', or any custom code that links against libOpenEXR using 'ldd /path/to/binary | grep -i openexr'Affected if OpenEXR library is loaded by any application that processes image files - the vulnerable code path could be triggered
-
Identify exposure to untrusted OpenEXR filesAudit workflows that accept OpenEXR image files from external sources - check application logs, file upload directories, or image processing pipelines for .exr file handlingAffected if The system processes OpenEXR files from untrusted or external sources - an attacker could deliver a malicious file to trigger the overflow
A system is affected if OpenEXR library version prior to 3.0.1 is installed AND the system processes OpenEXR image files, particularly from untrusted sources.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 · scoped3.0.1
Upgrade OpenEXR to version 3.0.1 or later to remediate this vulnerability.
OpenEXR 3.0.1
- Check the current installed version of OpenEXR using package manager or application version check
- Update the package manager to ensure latest package lists are available
- Upgrade OpenEXR to version 3.0.1 or later using the appropriate package manager command (e.g., dnf update openexr for Fedora)
- Verify the installed version is 3.0.1 or higher
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Fedora
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,656.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-23169 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-23169 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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