Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-33461 is a memory-safety issue in yasm 1.3.0, an assembler tool. The reported bug is a use-after-free in yasm_intnum_destroy(). Business impact is unclear because the public record provides no CVSS score, named fix, or evidence of active exploitation.
Executive priority
Handle as a targeted inventory and build-chain hygiene item, not an emergency, unless yasm 1.3.0 processes untrusted input in critical automation. Prioritize confirmation because severity and fix details are incomplete.
Technical view
The CVE describes a use-after-free in libyasm/intnum.c within yasm_intnum_destroy() in yasm 1.3.0. The available bundle does not provide a CWE, CVSS vector, affected CPEs, exploit status, or remediation version. Treat the record as valid but incomplete.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where yasm 1.3.0 is installed in developer workstations, CI systems, build pipelines, or packaging environments. Risk depends on whether yasm processes untrusted or attacker-supplied assembly/input files.
Exploitation context
The source bundle includes public issue and gist references, but no KEV listing and no cited source confirming active exploitation. The likely concern is crafted input causing unsafe memory behavior during yasm processing, but operational impact is not established in the provided sources.
Researcher notes
The record is sparse: no CVSS, CWE, CPE, patch version, or exploitation confirmation is provided. Analysis should stay bounded to yasm 1.3.0 and the named use-after-free in yasm_intnum_destroy() until vendor or maintainer sources clarify scope.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory systems and build pipelines for yasm 1.3.0.
- Check yasm project guidance for a fixed release or workaround.
- Avoid processing untrusted inputs with affected yasm builds.
- Run yasm in isolated CI or sandboxed build environments.
- Track vendor issue updates before making production assumptions.
Validation and detection
- Confirm installed yasm versions across developer and CI environments.
- Review build jobs for yasm execution on external inputs.
- Check dependency manifests, containers, and package locks for yasm.
- Look for crash reports tied to yasm_intnum_destroy or intnum.c.
- Document whether exposure is direct, indirect, or absent.
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
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CVE-2021-33461 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
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
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 and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/yasm/yasm/issues/161CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://gist.github.com/Clingto/bb632c0c463f4b2c97e4f65f751c5e6dCVE 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.