CVE-2021-22901: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability
HIGHCVE-2021-22901 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.1) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-416: Use After Free) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. at some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.
CVE-2021-22901 at a Glance
Security Impact
CVSS: 8.1
The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
How to Fix CVE-2021-22901
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.
Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
mvn dependency:treeHow to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2021-22901, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:
mvn dependency:treeAnalyze 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-416: Use After Free, where the product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. at some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer. 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
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2021-22901?
Which Software versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2021-22901?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-22901?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-22901?
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-22901?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-vjwf-ghhc-2p8q",
"modified" : "2026-10-14T12:31:19Z",
"published" : "2022-05-24T19:05:02Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-22901" ],
"details" : "curl 7.75.0 through 7.76.1 suffers from a use-after-free vulnerability resulting in already freed memory being used when a TLS 1.3 session ticket arrives over a connection. A malicious server can use this in rare unfortunate circumstances to potentially reach remote code execution in the client. When libcurl at run-time sets up support for TLS 1.3 session tickets on a connection using OpenSSL, it stores pointers to the transfer in-memory object for later retrieval when a session ticket arrives. If the connection is used by multiple transfers (like with a reused HTTP/1.1 connection or multiplexed HTTP/2 connection) that first transfer object might be freed before the new session is established on that connection and then the function will access a memory buffer that might be freed. When using that memory, libcurl might even call a function pointer in the object, making it possible for a remote code execution if the server could somehow manage to get crafted memory content into the correct place in memory.",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
} ],
"affected" : [ ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-22901"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/curl/curl/commit/7f4a9a9b2a49547eae24d2e19bc5c346e9026479"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://hackerone.com/reports/1180380"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-389290.html"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-398330.html"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-732250.html"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-389290.pdf"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-732250.pdf"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://curl.se/docs/CVE-2021-22901.html"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210723-0001"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210727-0007"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.html"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2022.html"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-416" ],
"severity" : "HIGH",
"github_reviewed" : false,
"github_reviewed_at" : null,
"nvd_published_at" : "2021-06-11T16:15:00Z"
}
}