Uncontrolled resource consumption in OpenEXR
Priority LOW 36CWE-400Published · Updated
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Deferred Red Hat: fix deferred
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-400.
Summary
A flaw was found in OpenEXR's B44Compressor. This flaw allows an attacker who can submit a crafted file to be processed by OpenEXR, to exhaust all memory accessible to the application. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.
Why it matters now
EPSS 0.01569 75th percentileScored 2026-11-07
Fix Deferred Red Hat: fix deferred
SSVC decision points
Not available: CISA has not published SSVC decision points for this record.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | OpenEXR | Fixed in OpenEXR 3.0.0-beta | — | No fix listed | CNA |
- OpenEXR Vendor— Affected Fixed in OpenEXR 3.0.0-beta Fixed in — No fix listed CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 2
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:a:openexr:openexr:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | up to 2.5.7 | Vulnerable | Academy Software Foundation |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 10.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
- cpe:2.3:a:openexr:openexr:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions up to 2.5.7 Vulnerable ·Academy Software Foundation
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 10.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
Remediation
No fixed version listed by the sources yet.
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2021-20298
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-c8fj-ggrc-c3hc
References
Patch 2
Sources
- CVE-2021-20298 · CVE Program
- CVE-2021-20298 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-c8fj-ggrc-c3hc · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2021-20298 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences