CVE-2021-3929
CWE-416Published: August 25, 2022· Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Official Description
A DMA reentrancy issue was found in the NVM Express Controller (NVME) emulation in QEMU. This CVE is similar to CVE-2021-3750 and, just like it, when the reentrancy write triggers the reset function nvme_ctrl_reset(), data structs will be freed leading to a use-after-free issue. A malicious guest could use this flaw to crash the QEMU process on the host, resulting in a denial of service condition or, potentially, executing arbitrary code within the context of the QEMU process on the host.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2021-3929 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 8.2.
The vulnerability has a "Changed" scope, meaning successful exploitation can impact components beyond the vulnerable component itself — such as the host operating system or adjacent services.
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
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
Official Patches & Advisories
All References (13)
Quick Facts
Related CVEs (CWE-416)
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2021-3929 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts