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CVE-2021-21811 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

Discover the impact of CVE-2021-21811, a critical memory corruption vulnerability in AT&T Labs Xmill 0.7, allowing attackers to trigger a heap buffer overflow. Learn about the technical details and mitigation strategies.

A memory corruption vulnerability in AT&T Labs Xmill 0.7 allows a specially crafted XML file to trigger a heap buffer overflow, leading to a high-severity attack with a CVSS base score of 8.1.

Understanding CVE-2021-21811

This CVE identifies a critical memory corruption vulnerability in AT&T Labs Xmill 0.7 that opens the door to potential exploitation by adversaries.

What is CVE-2021-21811?

CVE-2021-21811 discloses a memory corruption flaw in the XML parsing feature of AT&T Labs Xmill 0.7. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by providing a malicious XML file, causing a heap buffer overflow.

The Impact of CVE-2021-21811

With a CVSS base score of 8.1 (High severity), this vulnerability poses significant risks to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected systems. The attack vector is network-based and does not require any special privileges.

Technical Details of CVE-2021-21811

This section covers the specific technical details related to CVE-2021-21811.

Vulnerability Description

The vulnerability stems from an integer underflow issue in the CreateLabelOrAttrib functionality of AT&T Labs Xmill 0.7, allowing malicious XML files to trigger a heap buffer overflow.

Affected Systems and Versions

AT&T Labs Xmill 0.7 is the affected version identified in this CVE. No other specific versions or systems are mentioned as affected.

Exploitation Mechanism

Adversaries can exploit this vulnerability by crafting a malicious XML file and providing it to the system. The XML parsing functionality of Xmill 0.7 mishandles the input, leading to a heap buffer overflow.

Mitigation and Prevention

To safeguard systems from CVE-2021-21811, immediate steps and long-term security practices should be implemented.

Immediate Steps to Take

        Update to a patched version of AT&T Labs Xmill to mitigate the vulnerability.
        Apply appropriate network security controls to detect and block malicious XML files.

Long-Term Security Practices

        Regularly monitor vendor security advisories for updates and patches.
        Conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing to identify and remediate vulnerabilities.

Patching and Updates

Ensure timely patch management for all software components to address known vulnerabilities and reduce the attack surface.

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