CVE-2021-33912: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-f8wp-q2v8-9hc2
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-787
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-33912 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2021-33912 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-33912
GHSA Identifier GHSA-f8wp-q2v8-9hc2
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2021-33912

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Software dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2021-33912, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Software in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write, where the product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer. In Software, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

libspf2 before 1.2.11 has a four-byte heap-based buffer overflow that might allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code (via an unauthenticated e-mail message from anywhere on the Internet) with a crafted SPF DNS record, because of incorrect sprintf usage in SPF_record_expand_data in spf_expand.c. The vulnerable code may be part of the supply chain of a site's e-mail infrastructure (e.g., with additional configuration, Exim can use libspf2; the Postfix web site links to unofficial patches for use of libspf2 with Postfix; older versions of spfquery relied on libspf2) but most often is not.

References

NVD — CVE-2021-33912 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-33912
Software Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/shevek/libspf2/tree/8131fe140704eaae695e76b5cd09e39bd1dd220b
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/01/msg00015.html
nathanielbennett.com/blog/libspf2-cve-ja... WEB
https://nathanielbennett.com/blog/libspf2-cve-jan-2022-disclosure
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202401-22

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-33912?
CVE-2021-33912 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2021-33912?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-33912?
CVE-2021-33912 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-33912?
CVE-2021-33912 is classified under CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write (The product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-33912?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-f8wp-q2v8-9hc2",
  "modified" : "2024-01-15T18:30:17Z",
  "published" : "2022-01-20T00:00:23Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-33912" ],
  "details" : "libspf2 before 1.2.11 has a four-byte heap-based buffer overflow that might allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code (via an unauthenticated e-mail message from anywhere on the Internet) with a crafted SPF DNS record, because of incorrect sprintf usage in SPF_record_expand_data in spf_expand.c. The vulnerable code may be part of the supply chain of a site's e-mail infrastructure (e.g., with additional configuration, Exim can use libspf2; the Postfix web site links to unofficial patches for use of libspf2 with Postfix; older versions of spfquery relied on libspf2) but most often is not.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-33912"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/shevek/libspf2/tree/8131fe140704eaae695e76b5cd09e39bd1dd220b"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/01/msg00015.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://nathanielbennett.com/blog/libspf2-cve-jan-2022-disclosure"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202401-22"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-787" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-01-19T18:15:00Z"
  }
}