high
7.8
CWE
119 122
Advisory Published
Updated

CVE-2021-29457: Heap buffer overflow in Exiv2::Jp2Image::doWriteMetadata

First published: Mon Apr 19 2021(Updated: )

Exiv2 is a command-line utility and C++ library for reading, writing, deleting, and modifying the metadata of image files. A heap buffer overflow was found in Exiv2 versions v0.27.3 and earlier. The heap overflow is triggered when Exiv2 is used to write metadata into a crafted image file. An attacker could potentially exploit the vulnerability to gain code execution, if they can trick the victim into running Exiv2 on a crafted image file. Note that this bug is only triggered when _writing_ the metadata, which is a less frequently used Exiv2 operation than _reading_ the metadata. For example, to trigger the bug in the Exiv2 command-line application, you need to add an extra command-line argument such as `insert`. The bug is fixed in version v0.27.4.

Credit: security-advisories@github.com

Affected SoftwareAffected VersionHow to fix
debian/exiv2
0.25-4+deb10u2
0.25-4+deb10u4
0.27.3-3+deb11u2
0.27.3-3+deb11u1
0.27.6-1
redhat/exiv2<0.27.4
0.27.4
CentOS Dos2unix<0.27.4
Fedora=33
Fedora=34
Debian=9.0
Debian=10.0

Remedy

https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2/issues/1529

Remedy

https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2/pull/1534

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Reference Links

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the severity of CVE-2021-29457?

    CVE-2021-29457 has been classified with a high severity due to the heap buffer overflow vulnerability that can be exploited by crafted image files.

  • How do I fix CVE-2021-29457?

    To mitigate CVE-2021-29457, upgrade Exiv2 to versions 0.27.4 or later on Red Hat or 0.27.6 or later on Debian-based systems.

  • Which versions of Exiv2 are affected by CVE-2021-29457?

    Exiv2 versions 0.27.3 and earlier are affected by CVE-2021-29457, including the default versions available in Debian 10 and Debian 11.

  • What can happen if CVE-2021-29457 is exploited?

    Exploitation of CVE-2021-29457 could lead to a potential crash of the application or execution of arbitrary code due to heap memory corruption.

  • Is CVE-2021-29457 applicable to any specific operating systems?

    CVE-2021-29457 impacts Exiv2 installations on various operating systems, including Debian, Red Hat, and Fedora.

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