HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2021-35942
CRITICAL

CVE-2021-35942

CWE-190Published: July 22, 2021· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

9.1
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

The wordexp function in the GNU C Library (aka glibc) through 2.33 may crash or read arbitrary memory in parse_param (in posix/wordexp.c) when called with an untrusted, crafted pattern, potentially resulting in a denial of service or disclosure of information. This occurs because atoi was used but strtoul should have been used to ensure correct calculations.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2021-35942 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

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 complete confidentiality breach (data exposure), availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 9.1.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

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

Affected Vendors & Products

Debian1 product(s)
debian linux
gnu1 product(s)
glibc
netapp5 product(s)
active iq unified managere-series santricity os controllerhci management nodeontap select deploy administration utilitysolidfire
Source: NVD CPE · 7 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

ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/10/msg00021.html
ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202208-24
ADVISORYhttps://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210827-0005/
ADVISORYhttps://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=28011
ADVISORYhttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/10/msg00021.html
ADVISORYhttps://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202208-24
ADVISORYhttps://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210827-0005/
ADVISORYhttps://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=28011

All References (12)

→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/10/msg00021.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202208-24Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210827-0005/Third Party Advisory
→
https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=28011Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory
→
https://sourceware.org/git/?p=glibc.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=5adda61f62b77384718b4c0d8336ade8f2b4b35cBroken Link
→
https://sourceware.org/glibc/wiki/Security%20ExceptionsNot Applicable
→
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/10/msg00021.htmlMailing List · Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202208-24Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210827-0005/Third Party Advisory
→
https://sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=28011Issue Tracking · Third Party Advisory
→
https://sourceware.org/git/?p=glibc.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=5adda61f62b77384718b4c0d8336ade8f2b4b35cBroken Link
→
https://sourceware.org/glibc/wiki/Security%20ExceptionsNot Applicable

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2021-35942
CVSS Score9.1 / 10
SeverityCRITICAL
WeaknessCWE-190
CISA KEVNo
Affected3 vendor(s)
PublishedJul 22, 2021

Related CVEs (CWE-190)

CVE-2015-5097
10.0
CVE-2015-5108
10.0
CVE-2025-64721
10.0
CVE-2012-5835
10.0
CVE-2008-2663
10.0
CVE-2010-1233
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2021-35942 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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