CVE-2021-22901

Exp

curl 7.75.0 through 7.76.1 suffers from a use-after-free vulnerability resulting in already freed memory being used when a TLS 1.3 session ticket arrives over a connection. A malicious server can use this in rare unfortunate circumstances to potentially reach remote code execution in the client. When libcurl at run-time sets up support for TLS 1.3 session tickets on a connection using OpenSSL, it stores pointers to the transfer in-memory object for later retrieval when a session ticket arrives. If the connection is used by multiple transfers (like with a reused HTTP/1.1 connection or multiplexed HTTP/2 connection) that first transfer object might be freed before the new session is established on that connection and then the function will access a memory buffer that might be freed. When using that memory, libcurl might even call a function pointer in the object, making it possible for a remote code execution if the server could somehow manage to get crafted memory content into the correct place in memory.

Published: 2021-06-11 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2021-22901 is rated High Exploit Risk (62.6/100): CVSS High severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.21%). Core evidence: 2 public exploit reference(s) are indexed (Exploit-DB). Mandatory action: Public exploits are available—assess exposure, apply mitigations, and prioritize patching.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Public exploit references (Exploit-DB) for CVE-2021-22901

EDB-ID Source Kind Published Link
nvd_ref exploit_tag Exploit-DB ↗
nvd_ref exploit_tag Exploit-DB ↗

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2021-22901

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-04-21 0.34% 0.21% -0.13%
2 2026-03-04 0.49% 0.34% -0.15%
3 2026-03-01 0.49%

Full EPSS history (60 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2021-22901

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
8.1 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
2.2 5.9 [email protected]
6.8 2.0 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:M)
Exploitation needs some favorable conditions, but not exceptional ones.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:P)
Partial confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:P)
Partial integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:P)
Partial availability impact.
8.6 6.4 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2021-22901

OS Trackers for CVE-2021-22901

vendor priority summary link
alpine CVE-2021-22901: 1 source package rows (curl); 13 state rows across 8 repos (3.12-main, 3.17-main, 3.18-main, 3.19-main, 3.20-main, 3.21-main, 3.22-main, edge-main); fixed 8, open 5. https://security.alpinelinux.org/vuln/CVE-2021-22901
debian unimportant CVE-2021-22901 unimportant priority: Debian including 1 source packages (curl), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2021-22901
gentoo high CVE-2021-22901: 1 GLSA(s) (202105-36), 1 atom(s) (net-misc/curl); latest impact high. https://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?quicksearch=CVE-2021-22901
redhat high https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-22901
ubuntu medium CVE-2021-22901 medium priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (curl), 9 status rows across 9 suites (bionic, focal, groovy, hirsute, impish, jammy, trusty, upstream, xenial): not-affected 8, released 1. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-22901

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2021-22901

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
haxx curl >= 7.75.0, <= 7.76.1 cpe:2.3:a:haxx:curl:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
oracle communications_cloud_native_core_binding_support_function 1.11.0 cpe:2.3:a:oracle:communications_cloud_native_core_binding_support_function:1.11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
oracle communications_cloud_native_core_network_function_cloud_native_environment 1.10.0 cpe:2.3:a:oracle:communications_cloud_native_core_network_function_cloud_native_environment:1.10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
oracle communications_cloud_native_core_network_repository_function 1.15.0 cpe:2.3:a:oracle:communications_cloud_native_core_network_repository_function:1.15.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
oracle communications_cloud_native_core_network_repository_function 1.15.1 cpe:2.3:a:oracle:communications_cloud_native_core_network_repository_function:1.15.1:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
oracle communications_cloud_native_core_network_slice_selection_function 1.8.0 cpe:2.3:a:oracle:communications_cloud_native_core_network_slice_selection_function:1.8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
oracle communications_cloud_native_core_service_communication_proxy 1.15.0 cpe:2.3:a:oracle:communications_cloud_native_core_service_communication_proxy:1.15.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
oracle essbase < 11.1.2.4.047 cpe:2.3:a:oracle:essbase:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
oracle essbase >= 21.0, < 21.3 cpe:2.3:a:oracle:essbase:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
oracle mysql_server <= 5.7.34 cpe:2.3:a:oracle:mysql_server:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
oracle mysql_server >= 8.0.0, <= 8.0.25 cpe:2.3:a:oracle:mysql_server:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
netapp active_iq_unified_manager cpe:2.3:a:netapp:active_iq_unified_manager:-:*:*:*:*:vsphere:*:*
netapp active_iq_unified_manager cpe:2.3:a:netapp:active_iq_unified_manager:-:*:*:*:*:windows:*:*
netapp cloud_backup cpe:2.3:a:netapp:cloud_backup:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
netapp oncommand_insight cpe:2.3:a:netapp:oncommand_insight:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
netapp oncommand_workflow_automation cpe:2.3:a:netapp:oncommand_workflow_automation:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
netapp snapcenter cpe:2.3:a:netapp:snapcenter:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
netapp solidfire\,_enterprise_sds_\&_hci_storage_node cpe:2.3:a:netapp:solidfire\,_enterprise_sds_\&_hci_storage_node:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
netapp solidfire_\&_hci_management_node cpe:2.3:a:netapp:solidfire_\&_hci_management_node:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
netapp solidfire_baseboard_management_controller_firmware cpe:2.3:o:netapp:solidfire_baseboard_management_controller_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
netapp hci_compute_node_firmware cpe:2.3:o:netapp:hci_compute_node_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
netapp h300e_firmware cpe:2.3:o:netapp:h300e_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
netapp h300s_firmware cpe:2.3:o:netapp:h300s_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
netapp h410s_firmware cpe:2.3:o:netapp:h410s_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
netapp h500e_firmware cpe:2.3:o:netapp:h500e_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
netapp h500s_firmware cpe:2.3:o:netapp:h500s_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
netapp h700e_firmware cpe:2.3:o:netapp:h700e_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
netapp h700s_firmware cpe:2.3:o:netapp:h700s_firmware:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
siemens sinec_infrastructure_network_services < 1.0.1.1 cpe:2.3:a:siemens:sinec_infrastructure_network_services:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
splunk universal_forwarder >= 8.2.0, < 8.2.12 cpe:2.3:a:splunk:universal_forwarder:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
splunk universal_forwarder >= 9.0.0, < 9.0.6 cpe:2.3:a:splunk:universal_forwarder:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
splunk universal_forwarder 9.1.0 cpe:2.3:a:splunk:universal_forwarder:9.1.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2021-22901

URL Tags
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-389290.pdf Patch Third Party Advisory
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-732250.pdf Third Party Advisory
https://curl.se/docs/CVE-2021-22901.html Exploit Patch Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/curl/curl/commit/7f4a9a9b2a49547eae24d2e19bc5c346e9026479 Patch Third Party Advisory
https://hackerone.com/reports/1180380 Exploit Issue Tracking Third Party Advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210723-0001/ Third Party Advisory
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210727-0007/ Third Party Advisory
https://www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html Patch Third Party Advisory
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.html Patch Third Party Advisory
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2022.html Patch Third Party Advisory
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