CVE-2021-29096
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 use-after-free vulnerability when parsing a specially crafted file in Esri ArcReader, ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Engine 10.8.1 (and earlier) and ArcGIS Pro 2.7 (and earlier) allows an unauthenticated attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user.
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 use-after-free vulnerability in Esri ArcGIS products (ArcReader, ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Engine ≤10.8.1, ArcGIS Pro ≤2.7) allows arbitrary code execution when parsing a specially crafted malicious file. The vulnerability stems from improper memory management during file parsing, enabling an attacker to exploit freed memory and execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user.
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<= 10.8.1<= 2.7<= 10.8.1<= 10.8.1CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/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.
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Identify installed Esri ArcGIS productOpen Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features, or use PowerShell: Get-ItemProperty 'HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*' | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion | Where-Object {$_.DisplayName -like '*ArcGIS*' -or $_.DisplayName -like '*ArcMap*' -or $_.DisplayName -like '*ArcReader*'}Affected if No Esri ArcGIS product is found in the system
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Determine installed version numberLocate the specific product (ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Engine, ArcMap, or ArcReader) and note its exact version from the Programs and Features list or the product's About/Help dialogAffected if Version cannot be determined or product is not listed
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Compare version against affected rangesCheck if the installed version falls within: ArcGIS Engine ≤10.8.1, ArcGIS Pro ≤2.7, ArcMap ≤10.8.1, or ArcReader ≤10.8.1Affected if Installed version is 10.8.1 or lower for Engine/Map/Reader, or 2.7 or lower for ArcGIS Pro
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Verify file parsing exposureConfirm the product's ability to open or import external file formats (such as shapefiles, layers, or map packages) is accessible to usersAffected if Product is installed and its file parsing features are available to users without restriction
The environment is affected if any Esri ArcGIS product (ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Engine, ArcMap, or ArcReader) is installed with a version at or below 10.8.1 (for Engine/Map/Reader) or 2.7 (for Pro) and the product can parse external files.
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.
From vendor dataApply vendor-supplied patches for affected products (ArcGIS Engine 10.8.2+, ArcGIS Pro 2.8+) and exercise caution when opening files from untrusted sources.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,984.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-29096 — 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-2021-29096 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
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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