HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2021-20197
MEDIUM

CVE-2021-20197

CWE-59Published: March 26, 2021· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

6.3
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

There is an open race window when writing output in the following utilities in GNU binutils version 2.35 and earlier:ar, objcopy, strip, ranlib. When these utilities are run as a privileged user (presumably as part of a script updating binaries across different users), an unprivileged user can trick these utilities into getting ownership of arbitrary files through a symlink.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2021-20197 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), with a CVSS base score of 6.3.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityHigh
Privileges Req.Low
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityNone
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

Affected Vendors & Products

broadcom1 product(s)
brocade fabric operating system firmware
gnu1 product(s)
binutils
netapp3 product(s)
cloud backupontap select deploy administration utilitysolidfire \& hci management node
Red Hat1 product(s)
enterprise linux
Source: NVD CPE · 6 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
Exploit-DB
Offensive Security exploit database
GitHub PoC Search
Community PoC repositories
Rapid7 / Metasploit
Metasploit module search
PacketStorm
Security advisories & exploits
NVD Detail
Official NIST entry
MITRE CVE
CVE Program entry
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

PATCHhttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1913743
PATCHhttps://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=26945
PATCHhttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1913743
PATCHhttps://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=26945
ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202208-30
ADVISORYhttps://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210528-0009/
ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202208-30
ADVISORYhttps://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210528-0009/

All References (8)

→
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1913743Issue Tracking · Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202208-30Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210528-0009/Third Party Advisory
→
https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=26945Issue Tracking · Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1913743Issue Tracking · Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202208-30Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210528-0009/Third Party Advisory
→
https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=26945Issue Tracking · Patch · Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2021-20197
CVSS Score6.3 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessCWE-59
CISA KEVNo
Affected4 vendor(s)
PublishedMar 26, 2021

Related CVEs (CWE-59)

CVE-2024-28189
10.0
CVE-2002-2374
10.0
CVE-2024-28185
10.0
CVE-2014-4480
10.0
CVE-2026-7374
9.9
CVE-2018-5225
9.9

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2021-20197 in threat intel feeds
  • →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWatch. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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