01 Record

CVE-2021-38185

GNU cpio through 2.13 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted pattern file, because of a dstring.c ds_fgetstr integer overflow that triggers an out-of-bounds heap write. NOTE: it is

HighPUBLISHEDCNA: mitre

CNA base score7.8 CVSS v3.xCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

View raw JSON

02 Description

GNU cpio through 2.13 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted pattern file, because of a dstring.c ds_fgetstr integer overflow that triggers an out-of-bounds heap write. NOTE: it is

03 Exploitation and scoring

Exploitation

Assessed, none found. CISA's assessment recorded neither public exploit code nor evidence of exploitation when it was made.

SSVC decision

ExploitationnoneCISA recorded no public exploit code and no evidence of exploitation.
AutomatablenoAt least one step from reconnaissance to exploitation cannot be reliably automated.
Technical ImpacttotalSuccessful exploitation gives total control of the vulnerable component.

CISA publishes the decision points, not a final SSVC decision. The decision also depends on mission and well-being impact, which is a property of your deployment rather than of the vulnerability.

EPSS probability

4.16% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days.

EPSS percentile

Equal to or higher than the score of 90.7% of scored records. A rank, not a probability.

NVD base score

7.8 (CVSS v3.x), scored by the NVD independently of the CNA.

NVD CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

NVD analysis status

Modified. NVD last modified this record on 2026-06-17.

Red Hat severity

Moderate. Red Hat's rating for its own products, not a CVSS rating.

Exploit-prediction scores from FIRST. Independent scoring and analysis status from the NVD. Vendor severity from Red Hat. Exploitation assessment and catalog membership from CISA.

04 Metadata

Published

2021-08-07 00:00Z5 YR AGO

Last updated

2025-06-09 15:11Z1 YR AGO

Reserved

2021-08-07

Assigning CNA

mitre

Record state

PUBLISHED

Severity

High (CVSS 7.8)

CNA CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Weaknesses

CWE-190Integer Overflow or WraparoundBase
CWE-787Out-of-bounds WriteBase

Data version

5.1

Document digest

6433d96e57b6ae4a19dd99280107b49fa1faa1c2c37bc575429cbeaaa0f8bc48

05 Affected products

VendorProductVersionsPlatforms

gnucpioNot specified—

redhatenterprise_linuxNot specified—

06 References

github.comhttps://github.com/fangqyi/cpiopwn
lists.gnu.orghttps://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-cpio/2021-08/msg00000.html
lists.gnu.orghttps://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-cpio/2021-08/msg00002.html
git.savannah.gnu.orghttps://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/cpio.git/commit/?id=dd96882877721703e19272fe25034560b794061b
lists.debian.org[debian-lts-announce] 20230604 [SECURITY] [DLA 3445-1] cpio security updatehttps://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/06/msg00007.htmlmailing-list

07 Fixed in

AlmaLinux 8

cpio
Fixed in 2.12-11.el8

Arch Linux

cpio
No fix yet

Source: Arch Linux Security Tracker, the Arch Linux security team. Reformatted by exploit.cc.

CloudLinux 8

cpio
Fixed in 2.12-11.el8

Derived from AlmaLinux 8. Partial coverage: only packages taken from AlmaLinux 8 are listed.

Debian 12

cpio
Fixed in 2.13+dfsg-5

Source: Debian Security Tracker, the Debian security team. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.

Debian 13

cpio
Fixed in 2.13+dfsg-5

Source: Debian Security Tracker, the Debian security team. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.

Debian 14

cpio
Fixed in 2.13+dfsg-5

Source: Debian Security Tracker, the Debian security team. Received through OSV.dev. Reformatted by exploit.cc.