Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-21944 is a critical memory-corruption flaw in Accusoft ImageGear 19.10 when parsing TIFF files. If a vulnerable application processes a crafted file, the parser can overflow heap memory, creating risk to confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Executive priority
Treat this as urgent where ImageGear 19.10 processes outside-supplied images. Business risk is highest for internet-facing upload, conversion, or document workflows because compromise could affect data and service availability.
Technical view
The CVE describes two heap-based buffer overflows in ImageGear 19.10 TIFF parsing, including overflow during a 12-bit copy operation. CVSS 3.0 is 9.8: network-reachable, low complexity, no privileges, no user interaction, unchanged scope, high C/I/A impact.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to systems or products embedding Accusoft ImageGear 19.10 and accepting or processing externally supplied TIFF files or image content.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not cite known active exploitation, and KEV is false. Public evidence supports malicious-file triggering, but not exploitation in the wild.
Researcher notes
Only Accusoft ImageGear 19.10 is named as affected in the bundle. No CPEs or patch version are provided. Avoid expanding scope beyond applications that include this component and parse TIFF content.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory applications and services using Accusoft ImageGear 19.10.
- Check Accusoft and Talos guidance for fixed versions or vendor mitigations.
- Restrict untrusted TIFF processing until remediation is confirmed.
- Apply file-type validation and isolation around image parsing workflows.
- Prioritize externally reachable upload, conversion, and document-processing paths.
Validation and detection
- Confirm ImageGear version in deployed applications and bundled components.
- Identify routes or jobs that parse TIFF or untrusted image files.
- Review vendor advisories for patched versions and remediation status.
- Check logs for crashes in ImageGear TIFF parsing components.
- Verify compensating controls around externally supplied image processing.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
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CWE-122: Exact CWE lookup
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-21944 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.8 (3.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H3.95.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.0 score
9.8CriticalVector: CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://talosintelligence.com/vulnerability_reports/TALOS-2021-1374CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Heap-based Buffer Overflow
Heap-based Buffer Overflow represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.