CVE-2021-39260: Buffer Overflow

Published Sep 6, 2021
·
Updated

A crafted NTFS image can cause an out-of-bounds access in ntfsinodesyncstandardinformation in NTFS-3G < 2021.8.22.

Other sources

From https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/08/30/1:

Security vulnerabilities were identified in the open source NTFS-3G and NTFSPROGS software. These vulnerabilities were confirmed and resolved. To our knowledge, these vulnerabilities have not been exploited.

These vulnerabilities may allow an attacker using a maliciously crafted NTFS-formatted image file or external storage to potentially execute arbitrary privileged code, if the attacker has either local access and the ntfs-3g binary is setuid root, or if the attacker has physical access to an external port to a computer which is configured to run the ntfs-3g binary or one of the ntfsprogs tools when the external storage is plugged into the computer. These vulnerabilities result from incorrect validation of some of the NTFS metadata that could potentially cause buffer overflows, which could be exploited by an attacker. Common ways for attackers to gain physical access to a machine is through social engineering or an evil maid attack on an unattended computer.

We recommend installing and applying the update with the security fixes, and advise to follow security guidance and frameworks such as NIST for assessing and improving an organization’s abilities to prevent, detect, and respond to security threats and cyber attacks.

AFFECTED PRODUCTS: All previous versions of open source NTFS-3G and NTFSPROGS.

WORKAROUND: None

SOLUTION: Upgrade to 2021.8.22

PROJECT URL: https://github.com/tuxera/ntfs-3g

ADVISORY ID: NTFS3G-SA-2021-0001

ISSUE DATE: 2021-08-30

SEVERITY: Moderate

CVEs: CVE-2021-33285, CVE-2021-35269, CVE-2021-35268, CVE-2021-33289, CVE-2021-33286, CVE-2021-35266, CVE-2021-33287, CVE-2021-35267, CVE-2021-39251, CVE-2021-39252, CVE-2021-39253, CVE-2021-39254, CVE-2021-39255, CVE-2021-39256, CVE-2021-39257, CVE-2021-39258, CVE-2021-39259, CVE-2021-39260, CVE-2021-39261, CVE-2021-39262, CVE-2021-39263

CVSS SCORE: 3.9-6.7

ACKNOWLEDGMENT: Jeremy Galindo, Akshay Ajayan, Kyle Zeng and Fish Wang for reporting these vulnerabilities.

Red Hat

Affected Software

6 affected componentsFixes available
redhat/ntfs3g<2021.8.22
2021.8.22
tuxera NTFS-3G<2021.8.22
Debian Debian Linux=9.0
Debian Debian Linux=10.0
Debian Debian Linux=11.0
debian/ntfs-3g
1:2017.3.23AR.3-4+deb11u41:2017.3.23AR.3-4+deb11u31:2022.10.3-1+deb12u21:2022.10.3-5

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/ntfs3g to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 2021.8.22
  2. Upgrade

    Upgrade debian/ntfs-3g to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 1:2017.3.23AR.3-4+deb11u4Fixed in 1:2017.3.23AR.3-4+deb11u3Fixed in 1:2022.10.3-1+deb12u2Fixed in 1:2022.10.3-5
  3. Upgrade

    Upgrade ntfs-3g to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 2021.8.22Patch NTFS3G-SA-2021-0001
  4. Upgrade

    Upgrade ntfsprogs to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 2021.8.22Patch NTFS3G-SA-2021-0001

Event History

Sep 7, 2021
CVE Published
via MITRE·12:00 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·12:00 AM
Description
Data Sourced
via NVD·03:15 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Dec 2, 2025
Data Sourced
via Debian·09:38 PM
DescriptionAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2021-39260?

CVE-2021-39260 has been classified as a high severity vulnerability due to its potential to cause out-of-bounds access.

2

How do I fix CVE-2021-39260?

To fix CVE-2021-39260, upgrade to ntfs-3g version 2021.8.22 or later.

3

What software is affected by CVE-2021-39260?

CVE-2021-39260 affects versions of ntfs-3g prior to 2021.8.22 across various operating systems.

4

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2021-39260?

CVE-2021-39260 is an out-of-bounds access vulnerability found in the NTFS-3G file system.

5

Can CVE-2021-39260 be exploited by attackers?

Yes, an attacker could craft a malicious NTFS image to exploit CVE-2021-39260 and potentially execute arbitrary code.

Contact

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