CVE-2021-38100
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 · uneditedCorel PhotoPaint Standard 2020 22.0.0.474 is affected by an Out-of-bounds Write vulnerability when parsing a crafted file. An unauthenticated attacker could leverage this vulnerability to achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious CPT file.
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 confidenceCorel PhotoPaint Standard 2020 contains an out-of-bounds write vulnerability when parsing CPT files. An attacker can craft a malicious CPT file that, when opened by a victim, triggers the vulnerability allowing arbitrary code execution 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= 22.0.0.474CVSS 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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Verify Corel PhotoPaint 2020 is installedCheck installed programs on the system. On Windows, open Control Panel > Programs and Features, or run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\* | Select-Object DisplayName, DisplayVersion' in PowerShell.Affected if Corel PhotoPaint 2020 appears in the installed programs list
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Confirm the exact version numberLocate the installed version of Corel PhotoPaint 2020. Look in Programs and Features, or check the application's About/Help section, or examine the executable properties of Photopaint2020.exe if found in the installation directory.Affected if The version is exactly 22.0.0.474 (no other versions are listed as affected)
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Identify CPT file associationCheck if .cpt files are associated with Corel PhotoPaint. Right-click any .cpt file in Windows Explorer, select Properties, and look at the 'Opens with' field, or check the default file associations via Settings > Apps > Default Apps.Affected if CPT files are set to open with Corel PhotoPaint 2020, meaning the application will parse these files when opened
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Assess exposure to untrusted CPT filesReview whether users have the ability to receive or download CPT files from external sources such as email attachments, downloads, or network shares. Check email gateway filtering rules or endpoint protection policies for CPT file handling.Affected if Users can open CPT files from untrusted or unknown sources without additional filtering or restrictions
You are affected only if Corel PhotoPaint 2020 version 22.0.0.474 is installed AND users can open CPT files 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.
From vendor dataRestrict or block the opening of untrusted CPT files from unknown sources. Implement email/gateway filtering to block CPT attachments. If a vendor patch is available, apply it immediately.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation6.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-38100 — 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-2021-38100 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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- 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