HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2021-35939
MEDIUM

CVE-2021-35939

CWE-59Published: August 26, 2022· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

6.7
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

It was found that the fix for CVE-2017-7500 and CVE-2017-7501 was incomplete: the check was only implemented for the parent directory of the file to be created. A local unprivileged user who owns another ancestor directory could potentially use this flaw to gain root privileges. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to data confidentiality and integrity as well as system availability.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2021-35939 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

Red Hat1 product(s)
enterprise linux
rpm1 product(s)
rpm
Source: NVD CPE · 2 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/96ec957e281220f8e137a2d5eb23b83a6377d556
PATCHhttps://github.com/rpm-software-management/rpm/pull/1919
PATCHhttps://github.com/rpm-software-management/rpm/commit/96ec957e281220f8e137a2d5eb23b83a6377d556
PATCHhttps://github.com/rpm-software-management/rpm/pull/1919
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-35939
ADVISORYhttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1964129
ADVISORYhttps://rpm.org/wiki/Releases/4.18.0
ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202210-22
ADVISORYhttps://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-35939
ADVISORYhttps://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1964129
ADVISORYhttps://rpm.org/wiki/Releases/4.18.0
ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202210-22

All References (12)

→
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-35939Third Party Advisory
→
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1964129Exploit · Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/rpm-software-management/rpm/commit/96ec957e281220f8e137a2d5eb23b83a6377d556Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/rpm-software-management/rpm/pull/1919Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://rpm.org/wiki/Releases/4.18.0Release Notes · Vendor Advisory
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202210-22Third Party Advisory
→
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-35939Third Party Advisory
→
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1964129Exploit · Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/rpm-software-management/rpm/commit/96ec957e281220f8e137a2d5eb23b83a6377d556Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/rpm-software-management/rpm/pull/1919Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://rpm.org/wiki/Releases/4.18.0Release Notes · Vendor Advisory
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202210-22Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2021-35939
CVSS Score6.7 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessCWE-59
CISA KEVNo
Affected2 vendor(s)
PublishedAug 26, 2022

Related CVEs (CWE-59)

CVE-2024-28185
10.0
CVE-2024-28189
10.0
CVE-2014-4480
10.0
CVE-2002-2374
10.0
CVE-2026-44881
9.9
CVE-2018-5225
9.9

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2021-35939 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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