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CVE Record

CVE-2021-30473: aom_image.c in libaom in AOMedia before 2021-04-07 frees memory that is not located on the heap.

aom_image.c in libaom in AOMedia before 2021-04-07 frees memory that is not located on the heap.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysisunknown

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2021-30473 is a memory-management flaw in libaom. Older code could attempt to free memory that was not heap-allocated, which can destabilize software that processes affected media paths. The source bundle does not provide CVSS, affected version numbers, or active exploitation evidence.

Executive priority

Prioritize routine-to-accelerated patching where libaom handles untrusted files. Business urgency is limited by missing severity and exploitation evidence, but memory-safety flaws in media-processing libraries can have broad dependency exposure.

Technical view

The issue is in aom_image.c in AOMedia libaom before 2021-04-07. The upstream reference identifies a code change, and Fedora, Debian, and Gentoo published security advisories. No CWE, CVSS vector, exploitability detail, or concrete vulnerable package versions are provided in the bundle.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely where applications, operating systems, containers, or appliances include libaom code predating the 2021-04-07 upstream fix or unpatched vendor packages.

Exploitation context

The bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited active exploitation. Treat this as a memory-safety issue requiring patch validation, not as confirmed exploited in the wild.

Researcher notes

Evidence is sparse: CVE text names an invalid free before 2021-04-07, and vendor advisories confirm security updates. The bundle does not establish exploit primitives, reachability conditions, CVSS, or exact downstream package versions.

Mitigation direction

  • Update libaom through supported Fedora, Debian, Gentoo, or other vendor security channels.
  • For embedded builds, move to libaom code containing the 2021-04-07 upstream fix.
  • Check application vendors for libaom-bundled updates before assuming system packages cover exposure.
  • Prioritize systems that parse untrusted media or user-supplied files.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory installed libaom or aom packages across hosts, containers, and build images.
  • Check SBOMs and statically linked components for bundled libaom copies.
  • Confirm vendor package advisories are applied on Fedora, Debian, and Gentoo systems.
  • Verify embedded source includes the upstream commit referenced for this CVE.
  • Document any unsupported or unknown-version deployments for owner follow-up.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
8

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context

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CVE-2021-30473 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

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.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
7Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
n/an/an/aListed
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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