HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2021-25217
HIGH

CVE-2021-25217

CWE-119Published: May 26, 2021· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

7.4
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

In ISC DHCP 4.1-ESV-R1 -> 4.1-ESV-R16, ISC DHCP 4.4.0 -> 4.4.2 (Other branches of ISC DHCP (i.e., releases in the 4.0.x series or lower and releases in the 4.3.x series) are beyond their End-of-Life (EOL) and no longer supported by ISC. From inspection it is clear that the defect is also present in releases from those series, but they have not been officially tested for the vulnerability), The outcome of encountering the defect while reading a lease that will trigger it varies, according to: the component being affected (i.e., dhclient or dhcpd) whether the package was built as a 32-bit or 64-bit binary whether the compiler flag -fstack-protection-strong was used when compiling In dhclient, ISC has not successfully reproduced the error on a 64-bit system. However, on a 32-bit system it is possible to cause dhclient to crash when reading an improper lease, which could cause network connectivity problems for an affected system due to the absence of a running DHCP client process. In dhcpd, when run in DHCPv4 or DHCPv6 mode: if the dhcpd server binary was built for a 32-bit architecture AND the -fstack-protection-strong flag was specified to the compiler, dhcpd may exit while parsing a lease file containing an objectionable lease, resulting in lack of service to clients. Additionally, the offending lease and the lease immediately following it in the lease database may be improperly deleted. if the dhcpd server binary was built for a 64-bit architecture OR if the -fstack-protection-strong compiler flag was NOT specified, the crash will not occur, but it is possible for the offending lease and the lease which immediately followed it to be improperly deleted.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2021-25217 requires adjacent network access, limiting remote exploitation but still posing risk in shared or local network environments.

The vulnerability requires no privileges and no user interaction, making it a prime target for automated exploitation campaigns and worm-like propagation.

A successful exploit results in availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 7.4.

The vulnerability has a "Changed" scope, meaning successful exploitation can impact components beyond the vulnerable component itself — such as the host operating system or adjacent services.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-119): Buffer overflow vulnerabilities can lead to arbitrary code execution or denial of service by corrupting adjacent memory.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorAdjacent
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionNone
ScopeChanged
Impact
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Debian1 product(s)
debian linux
Fedora1 product(s)
fedora
isc1 product(s)
dhcp
netapp2 product(s)
ontap select deploy administration utilitysolidfire \& hci management node
siemens21 product(s)
ruggedcom rox rx1400 firmwareruggedcom rox rx1400ruggedcom rox rx1500 firmwareruggedcom rox rx1500ruggedcom rox rx1501 firmwareruggedcom rox rx1501ruggedcom rox rx1510 firmwareruggedcom rox rx1510ruggedcom rox rx1511 firmwareruggedcom rox rx1511ruggedcom rox rx1512 firmwareruggedcom rox rx1512+9
Source: NVD CPE · 29 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
External links open in a new tab. Always verify in a controlled environment before use.

Official Patches & Advisories

All References (18)

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2021-25217
CVSS Score7.4 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessCWE-119
CISA KEVNo
Affected5 vendor(s)
PublishedMay 26, 2021

Related CVEs (CWE-119)

Recommended Actions

  • Apply vendor patches immediately
  • Monitor CVE-2021-25217 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.