HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2021-3634
MEDIUM

CVE-2021-3634

CWE-787Published: August 31, 2021· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

6.5
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

A flaw has been found in libssh in versions prior to 0.9.6. The SSH protocol keeps track of two shared secrets during the lifetime of the session. One of them is called secret_hash and the other session_id. Initially, both of them are the same, but after key re-exchange, previous session_id is kept and used as an input to new secret_hash. Historically, both of these buffers had shared length variable, which worked as long as these buffers were same. But the key re-exchange operation can also change the key exchange method, which can be based on hash of different size, eventually creating "secret_hash" of different size than the session_id has. This becomes an issue when the session_id memory is zeroed or when it is used again during second key re-exchange.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2021-3634 can be exploited remotely over the network without requiring physical or adjacent access, significantly expanding the attack surface for threat actors.

Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

A successful exploit results in availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 6.5.

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

Affected Vendors & Products

Debian1 product(s)
debian linux
Fedora1 product(s)
fedora
libssh1 product(s)
libssh
netapp1 product(s)
cloud backup
Oracle1 product(s)
mysql workbench
Red Hat2 product(s)
virtualizationenterprise linux
Source: NVD CPE · 10 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

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

All References (16)

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2021-3634
CVSS Score6.5 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessCWE-787
CISA KEVNo
Affected6 vendor(s)
PublishedAug 31, 2021

Related CVEs (CWE-787)

Recommended Actions

  • Apply vendor patches immediately
  • Monitor CVE-2021-3634 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.