HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2021-36980
MEDIUM

CVE-2021-36980

CWE-416Published: July 20, 2021· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

5.5
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

Open vSwitch (aka openvswitch) 2.11.0 through 2.15.0 has a use-after-free in decode_NXAST_RAW_ENCAP (called from ofpact_decode and ofpacts_decode) during the decoding of a RAW_ENCAP action.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2021-36980 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

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 availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 5.5.

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

Affected Vendors & Products

openvswitch1 product(s)
openvswitch
Source: NVD CPE · 1 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://bugs.chromium.org/p/oss-fuzz/issues/detail?id=27851
PATCHhttps://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/38744b1bcb022c611712527f039722115300f58f
PATCHhttps://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/65c61b0c23a0d474696d7b1cea522a5016a8aeb3
PATCHhttps://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/6d67310f4d2524b466b98f05ebccc1add1e8cf35
PATCHhttps://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/77cccc74deede443e8b9102299efc869a52b65b2
PATCHhttps://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/8ce8dc34b5f73b30ce0c1869af9947013c3c6575
PATCHhttps://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/9926637a80d0d243dbf9c49761046895e9d1a8e2
PATCHhttps://bugs.chromium.org/p/oss-fuzz/issues/detail?id=27851
PATCHhttps://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/38744b1bcb022c611712527f039722115300f58f
PATCHhttps://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/65c61b0c23a0d474696d7b1cea522a5016a8aeb3
PATCHhttps://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/6d67310f4d2524b466b98f05ebccc1add1e8cf35
PATCHhttps://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/77cccc74deede443e8b9102299efc869a52b65b2
PATCHhttps://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/8ce8dc34b5f73b30ce0c1869af9947013c3c6575
PATCHhttps://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/9926637a80d0d243dbf9c49761046895e9d1a8e2
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/google/oss-fuzz-vulns/blob/main/vulns/openvswitch/OSV-2020-2197.yaml
ADVISORYhttps://github.com/google/oss-fuzz-vulns/blob/main/vulns/openvswitch/OSV-2020-2197.yaml

All References (18)

→
https://bugs.chromium.org/p/oss-fuzz/issues/detail?id=27851Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/google/oss-fuzz-vulns/blob/main/vulns/openvswitch/OSV-2020-2197.yamlThird Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/38744b1bcb022c611712527f039722115300f58fPatch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/65c61b0c23a0d474696d7b1cea522a5016a8aeb3Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/6d67310f4d2524b466b98f05ebccc1add1e8cf35Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/77cccc74deede443e8b9102299efc869a52b65b2Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/8ce8dc34b5f73b30ce0c1869af9947013c3c6575Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/9926637a80d0d243dbf9c49761046895e9d1a8e2Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202311-16
→
https://bugs.chromium.org/p/oss-fuzz/issues/detail?id=27851Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/google/oss-fuzz-vulns/blob/main/vulns/openvswitch/OSV-2020-2197.yamlThird Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/38744b1bcb022c611712527f039722115300f58fPatch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/65c61b0c23a0d474696d7b1cea522a5016a8aeb3Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/6d67310f4d2524b466b98f05ebccc1add1e8cf35Patch · Third Party Advisory
→
https://github.com/openvswitch/ovs/commit/77cccc74deede443e8b9102299efc869a52b65b2Patch · Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2021-36980
CVSS Score5.5 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessCWE-416
CISA KEVNo
Affected1 vendor(s)
PublishedJul 20, 2021

Related CVEs (CWE-416)

CVE-2012-1972
10.0
CVE-2010-3116
10.0
CVE-2015-3107
10.0
CVE-2026-13782
10.0
CVE-2010-2302
10.0
CVE-2012-1973
10.0

Recommended Actions

  • →Apply vendor patches immediately
  • →Monitor CVE-2021-36980 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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