HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2021-3501
HIGH

CVE-2021-3501

CWE-787Published: May 6, 2021· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

7.1
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel in versions before 5.12. The value of internal.ndata, in the KVM API, is mapped to an array index, which can be updated by a user process at anytime which could lead to an out-of-bounds write. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to data integrity and system availability.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2021-3501 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 full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 7.1.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-787): Out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities can lead to data corruption, crashes, or arbitrary code execution.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

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

Affected Vendors & Products

Fedora1 product(s)
fedora
Linux1 product(s)
linux kernel
netapp18 product(s)
cloud backupsolidfire baseboard management controller firmwareh300s firmwareh300sh500s firmwareh500sh700s firmwareh700sh300e firmwareh300eh500e firmwareh500e+6
Red Hat7 product(s)
enterprise linuxenterprise linux for real timeenterprise linux for real time for nfventerprise linux for real time for nfv tusenterprise linux for real time tusvirtualizationvirtualization host
Source: NVD CPE · 27 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=1950136
PATCHhttps://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=04c4f2ee3f68c9a4bf1653d15f1a9a435ae33f7a
PATCHhttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1950136
PATCHhttps://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=04c4f2ee3f68c9a4bf1653d15f1a9a435ae33f7a
ADVISORYhttps://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210618-0008/
ADVISORYhttps://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210618-0008/

All References (6)

→
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1950136Issue Tracking · Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=04c4f2ee3f68c9a4bf1653d15f1a9a435ae33f7aMailing List · Patch · Vendor Advisory
→
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210618-0008/Third Party Advisory
→
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1950136Issue Tracking · Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=04c4f2ee3f68c9a4bf1653d15f1a9a435ae33f7aMailing List · Patch · Vendor Advisory
→
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210618-0008/Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2021-3501
CVSS Score7.1 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessCWE-787
CISA KEVNo
Affected4 vendor(s)
PublishedMay 6, 2021

Related CVEs (CWE-787)

CVE-2015-5105
10.0
CVE-2015-5098
10.0
CVE-2012-0751
10.0
CVE-2013-5610
10.0
CVE-2015-5096
10.0
CVE-2018-2913
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2021-3501 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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