HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2021-35938
MEDIUM

CVE-2021-35938

CWE-59Published: August 25, 2022· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

6.7
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

A symbolic link issue was found in rpm. It occurs when rpm sets the desired permissions and credentials after installing a file. A local unprivileged user could use this flaw to exchange the original file with a symbolic link to a security-critical file and escalate their privileges on the system. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to data confidentiality and integrity as well as system availability.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2021-35938 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires high 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), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 6.7.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

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

Affected Vendors & Products

Fedora1 product(s)
fedora
Red Hat1 product(s)
enterprise linux
rpm1 product(s)
rpm
Source: NVD CPE · 5 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://github.com/rpm-software-management/rpm/commit/25a435e90844ea98fe5eb7bef22c1aecf3a9c033
PATCHhttps://github.com/rpm-software-management/rpm/pull/1919
PATCHhttps://github.com/rpm-software-management/rpm/commit/25a435e90844ea98fe5eb7bef22c1aecf3a9c033
PATCHhttps://github.com/rpm-software-management/rpm/pull/1919
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-35938
ADVISORYhttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1964114
ADVISORYhttps://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1157880
ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202210-22
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-35938
ADVISORYhttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1964114
ADVISORYhttps://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1157880
ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202210-22

All References (14)

→
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-35938Vendor Advisory
→
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1964114Issue Tracking · Vendor Advisory
→
https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1157880Exploit · Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/rpm-software-management/rpm/commit/25a435e90844ea98fe5eb7bef22c1aecf3a9c033Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/rpm-software-management/rpm/pull/1919Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://rpm.org/wiki/Releases/4.18.0Release Notes
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202210-22Third Party Advisory
→
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-35938Vendor Advisory
→
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1964114Issue Tracking · Vendor Advisory
→
https://bugzilla.suse.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1157880Exploit · Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/rpm-software-management/rpm/commit/25a435e90844ea98fe5eb7bef22c1aecf3a9c033Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/rpm-software-management/rpm/pull/1919Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://rpm.org/wiki/Releases/4.18.0Release Notes
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202210-22Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2021-35938
CVSS Score6.7 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessCWE-59
CISA KEVNo
Affected3 vendor(s)
PublishedAug 25, 2022

Related CVEs (CWE-59)

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

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2021-35938 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.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.
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