GoApplication · Golang
CVE-2021-38297
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 · uneditedGo before 1.16.9 and 1.17.x before 1.17.2 has a Buffer Overflow via large arguments in a function invocation from a WASM module, when GOARCH=wasm GOOS=js is used.
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 confidenceBuffer overflow vulnerability in Go's WebAssembly runtime (GOARCH=wasm, GOOS=js) allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via large arguments in WASM function invocations. The issue affects Go versions prior to 1.16.9 and 1.17.x prior to 1.17.2.
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
GoApplication
< 1.16.9>= 1.17.0, < 1.17.2
FedoraOperating system
= 34= 35CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Check installed Go versionRun 'go version' to see the Go runtime version currently installedAffected if The version shown is earlier than 1.16.9, or is 1.17.0 or 1.17.1 (anything from 1.17.0 up to but not including 1.17.2)
-
Verify WebAssembly build targetInspect your build configuration or Makefile for GOARCH=wasm or GOOS=js flags, or check if any .wasm binaries exist in your projectAffected if The project is built with GOARCH=wasm or produces WebAssembly binaries
-
Check for JS interop usageSearch source code for '//go:build wasm' or '// +build wasm' build tags, or look for imports of 'syscall/js' packageAffected if The code uses the syscall/js package for JavaScript interop in WebAssembly builds
-
Identify deployed WASM modulesLocate any .wasm binary files deployed in your environment and note their build timestamp or associated Go version metadataAffected if The .wasm modules were compiled with an affected Go version (prior to 1.16.9 or 1.17.0-1.17.1)
You are affected if you run Go versions below 1.16.9 or between 1.17.0 and 1.17.1, AND you build or deploy WebAssembly modules (GOARCH=wasm) that use JavaScript interop.
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 · scoped1.16.91.17.2
Upgrade Go to version 1.16.9 or later (or 1.17.2 or later) and rebuild all affected WASM modules to incorporate the security fix.
Go 1.16.9, Go 1.17.2, or later stable releases
- 1. Identify the current Go version by running: go version
- 2. If running Go < 1.16.9 or >= 1.17.0 but < 1.17.2, upgrade is required
- 3. Download the appropriate Go version for your platform from https://golang.org/dl/ (Go 1.16.9 or Go 1.17.2 or later)
- 4. Extract the downloaded archive to /usr/local on Linux or follow OS-specific installation instructions
- 5. Verify the upgrade by running: go version
- 6. If using GOARCH=wasm GOOS=js for WebAssembly, ensure your code handles arguments within safe size limits as a defense-in-depth measure
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Go
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-2021-38297 — 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-2021-38297 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