CVE-2021-29097 | ArcGIS general raster security update: buffer overflow

Multiple buffer overflow vulnerabilities when parsing a specially crafted file in Esri ArcReader, ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Engine 10.8.1 (and earlier) and ArcGIS Pro 2.7 (and earlier) allow an unauthenticated attacker to achieve arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user.

Published: 2021-03-25 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2021-29097 is rated Moderate Risk (61.8/100): CVSS High severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 2.41%). EPSS rose +1.97% over the last day, indicating growing attacker interest. Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

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

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2021-29097

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 2026-06-15 0.44% 2.41% +1.97%
2 2025-11-21 0.34% 0.44% +0.10%
3 2025-11-18 — 0.34% —

Full EPSS history (16 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2021-29097

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.8 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
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.
 1.8 5.9 [email protected]
7.8 3.0 HIGH
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
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.
 1.8 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-2021-29097

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2021-29097

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
esri arcgis_engine <= 10.8.1 cpe:2.3:a:esri:arcgis_engine:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
esri arcgis_pro <= 2.7 cpe:2.3:a:esri:arcgis_pro:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
esri arcmap <= 10.8.1 cpe:2.3:a:esri:arcmap:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
esri arcreader <= 10.8.1 cpe:2.3:a:esri:arcreader:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2021-29097

URL Tags
https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis/administration/security-advisory-general-raster/ Vendor Advisory
https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-360/ Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-363/ Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-364/ Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-365/ Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-367/ Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-368/ Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-369/ Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-21-371/ Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
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