CVE-2021-28543: Null Pointer Dereference

Published Mar 16, 2021
·
Updated

Varnish varnish-modules before 0.17.1 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (daemon restart) in some configurations. This does not affect organizations that only install the Varnish Cache product; however, it is common to install both Varnish Cache and varnish-modules. Specifically, an assertion failure or NULL pointer dereference can be triggered in Varnish Cache through the varnish-modules header.append() and header.copy() functions. For some Varnish Configuration Language (VCL) files, this gives remote clients an opportunity to cause a Varnish Cache restart. A restart reduces overall availability and performance due to an increased number of cache misses, and may cause higher load on backend servers.

Affected Software

4 affected componentsFixes available
Varnish-cache Varnish-modules<0.17.1
Varnish-cache Varnish-modules Klarlack<0.17.1
Fedoraproject Fedora=34
Microsoft cbl2 varnish-modules

Event History

Mar 16, 2021
CVE Published
via MITRE·02:43 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·02:43 PM
DescriptionSeverity
Oct 1, 2025
Data Sourced
via Microsoft·11:11 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via Microsoft·11:11 PM
Affected Software
Updated
via Microsoft·11:11 PM
DescriptionSeverity
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is CVE-2021-28543?

CVE-2021-28543 is a vulnerability that allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service in Varnish varnish-modules before version 0.17.1.

2

How does CVE-2021-28543 affect Varnish Cache and varnish-modules?

CVE-2021-28543 does not affect organizations that only install Varnish Cache, but it does affect those that install both Varnish Cache and varnish-modules.

3

What is the severity of CVE-2021-28543?

CVE-2021-28543 has a severity level of 7.5, which is considered high.

4

What is the fix for CVE-2021-28543?

To fix CVE-2021-28543, upgrade Varnish varnish-modules to version 0.17.1 or later.

5

Where can I find more information about CVE-2021-28543?

You can find more information about CVE-2021-28543 at the following references: [Reference 1](https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/OPFBRQUJNWHCB3GQHSSAPRLQU6Q6PY43/) and [Reference 2](https://varnish-cache.org/security/VSV00006.html).

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