HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2021-3518
HIGH

CVE-2021-3518

CWE-416Published: May 18, 2021· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

8.8
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

There's a flaw in libxml2 in versions before 2.9.11. An attacker who is able to submit a crafted file to be processed by an application linked with libxml2 could trigger a use-after-free. The greatest impact from this flaw is to confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2021-3518 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

Exploitation does not require any privileges, though user interaction (Required) is needed, which slightly reduces the risk of mass automated attacks.

A successful exploit results in complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), full integrity compromise (data manipulation), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 8.8.

From a weakness classification perspective (CWE-416): Use-after-free vulnerabilities involve accessing memory after it has been freed, often enabling arbitrary code execution.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.None
User InteractionRequired
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Debian1 product(s)
debian linux
Fedora1 product(s)
fedora
netapp8 product(s)
active iq unified managerclustered data ontapclustered data ontap antivirus connectormanageability software development kitontap select deploy administration utilitysnapdrivehci h410c firmwarehci h410c
Oracle6 product(s)
communications cloud native core network function cloud native environmententerprise manager base platformenterprise manager ops centermysql workbenchpeoplesoft enterprise peopletoolsreal user experience insight
Red Hat2 product(s)
jboss core servicesenterprise linux
xmlsoft1 product(s)
libxml2
Source: NVD CPE · 22 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
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Official Patches & Advisories

All References (38)

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2021-3518
CVSS Score8.8 / 10
SeverityHIGH
WeaknessCWE-416
CISA KEVNo
Affected6 vendor(s)
PublishedMay 18, 2021

Related CVEs (CWE-416)

Recommended Actions

  • Apply vendor patches immediately
  • Monitor CVE-2021-3518 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.