Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2021-37622 can make Exiv2 hang when processing a specially crafted image during a less common metadata deletion workflow. The main business impact is service disruption, not data theft or code execution. Risk is higher where Exiv2 handles untrusted images automatically.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation as a moderate availability risk. Escalate if Exiv2 runs in automated ingestion paths for customer-controlled images, because a crafted file could tie up processing resources.
Technical view
Exiv2 v0.27.4 and earlier contain a CWE-835 infinite loop in JpegBase::printStructure. The issue is triggered while modifying crafted image metadata, specifically during IPTC deletion. CVSS is 5.5 with local attack vector, required user interaction, and high availability impact. Fixed in v0.27.5.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in image-processing pipelines, media management tools, CMS workflows, or desktop/server utilities that use Exiv2 or libexiv2 on user-supplied images. Systems not deleting IPTC metadata are less likely to hit the vulnerable path.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show active exploitation, and CISA KEV status is false. Exploitation requires a crafted image and a victim workflow that runs Exiv2 metadata modification involving IPTC deletion, making it primarily a denial-of-service concern.
Researcher notes
Evidence supports affected Exiv2 versions through v0.27.4, fixed in v0.27.5, with the vulnerable condition tied to IPTC deletion. No source in the bundle establishes remote code execution, confidentiality impact, or active exploitation.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade Exiv2 to v0.27.5 or later.
- Apply distribution security updates for Exiv2 packages.
- Review services that process untrusted images with Exiv2 or libexiv2.
- Avoid unnecessary IPTC deletion on untrusted files until patched.
- Monitor image-processing jobs for hangs or abnormal runtime.
Validation and detection
- Inventory hosts, containers, and applications using Exiv2 or libexiv2.
- Confirm installed versions are newer than v0.27.4 or vendor-patched.
- Identify workflows that modify metadata on user-supplied images.
- Check whether any workflows delete IPTC metadata.
- Review package advisories from your Linux distribution.
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.
CWE-835: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-37622 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
- Medium
- CVSS
- 5.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/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:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H1.83.6Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2/security/advisories/GHSA-9jh3-fcc3-g6hvCVE reference
- https://github.com/Exiv2/exiv2/pull/1788CVE reference
- FEDORA-2021-399f869889CVE reference · vendor-advisory
- FEDORA-2021-cbaef8e2d5CVE reference · vendor-advisory
- [debian-lts-announce] 20230110 [SECURITY] [DLA 3265-1] exiv2 security updateCVE reference · mailing-list
- GLSA-202312-06CVE reference · vendor-advisory
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.
Loop with Unreachable Exit Condition ('Infinite Loop')
Loop with Unreachable Exit Condition ('Infinite Loop') represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.