CVE-2021-42521 Explained : Impact and Mitigation
Learn about the CVE-2021-42521 affecting VTK before 9.2.5, leading to application crashes. Find mitigation steps and affected versions here.
A NULL pointer dereference vulnerability in VTK before 9.2.5 could lead to application crashes.
Understanding CVE-2021-42521
What is CVE-2021-42521?
The vulnerability exists in VTK's vtkXMLTreeReader.cxx due to unchecked return values from libxml2 API, posing a risk of NULL pointer dereference.
The Impact of CVE-2021-42521
The vulnerability could potentially crash the application by dereferencing a NULL pointer.
Technical Details of CVE-2021-42521
Vulnerability Description
The issue stems from the lack of validation for the return value of 'xmlDocGetRootElement', making the application susceptible to crashes.
Affected Systems and Versions
- Vendor: n/a
- Product: vtk
- Vulnerable Versions: VTK - 9.0.0 and earlier
Exploitation Mechanism
The exploitation involves triggering the vulnerability by causing the application to dereference a NULL pointer.
Mitigation and Prevention
Immediate Steps to Take
- Apply the patch provided by the vendor immediately.
- Monitor vendor communications for updates.
Long-Term Security Practices
- Implement secure coding practices to prevent NULL pointer dereference issues.
- Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments.
Patching and Updates
Ensure timely installation of patches and updates from VTK to mitigate the vulnerability.