CVE-2021-22945: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-22mx-9r92-42g8
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CVSS 9.1
CWE-415
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-22945 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.1) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-415: Double Free) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product calls free() twice on the same memory address.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2021-22945 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-22945
GHSA Identifier GHSA-22mx-9r92-42g8
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.1
CWE Classification CWE-415: Double Free
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.1

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:N/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 None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2021-22945

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-2021-22945, 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-415: Double Free, where the product calls free() twice on the same memory address. 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

When sending data to an MQTT server, libcurl <= 7.73.0 and 7.78.0 could in some circumstances erroneously keep a pointer to an already freed memory area and both use that again in a subsequent call to send data and also free it *again*.

References

NVD — CVE-2021-22945 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-22945
hackerone.com/reports/1269242 WEB
https://hackerone.com/reports/1269242
cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ss... WEB
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-389290.html
cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ss... WEB
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-398330.html
cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa... WEB
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-389290.pdf
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/APOAK4X73EJTAPTSVT7IRVDMUWVXNWGD
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/RWLEC6YVEM2HWUBX67SDGPSY4CQB72OE
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/APOAK4X73EJTAPTSVT7IRVDMUWVXNWGD
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/RWLEC6YVEM2HWUBX67SDGPSY4CQB72OE
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202212-01
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20211029-0003
support.apple.com/kb/ht213183 WEB
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213183
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://www.debian.org/security/2022/dsa-5197
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.html
seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2022... WEB
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2022/Mar/29

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-22945?
CVE-2021-22945 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-415: Double Free.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2021-22945?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-22945?
CVE-2021-22945 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-22945?
CVE-2021-22945 is classified under CWE-415: Double Free (The product calls free() twice on the same memory address.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-22945?
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-22mx-9r92-42g8",
  "modified" : "2026-10-14T12:31:22Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T19:15:34Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-22945" ],
  "details" : "When sending data to an MQTT server, libcurl <= 7.73.0 and 7.78.0 could in some circumstances erroneously keep a pointer to an already freed memory area and both use that again in a subsequent call to send data and also free it *again*.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
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  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://hackerone.com/reports/1269242"
  }, {
    "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/pdf/ssa-389290.pdf"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/APOAK4X73EJTAPTSVT7IRVDMUWVXNWGD"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/RWLEC6YVEM2HWUBX67SDGPSY4CQB72OE"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/APOAK4X73EJTAPTSVT7IRVDMUWVXNWGD"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/RWLEC6YVEM2HWUBX67SDGPSY4CQB72OE"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202212-01"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20211029-0003"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://support.apple.com/kb/HT213183"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.debian.org/security/2022/dsa-5197"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2022/Mar/29"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-415" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-09-23T13:15:00Z"
  }
}