Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
GurumDDS has a memory-allocation bug that can overflow a heap buffer. The public record says all versions are affected. The rating is moderate because exploitation requires local access and low privileges, but successful exploitation could cause high availability impact.
Executive priority
Prioritize identification in environments where GurumDDS supports operational or safety-sensitive systems. The issue is not described as remotely exploitable, but availability impact could matter if affected hosts support critical workflows.
Technical view
CVE-2021-38423 is a CWE-131 incorrect buffer-size calculation in GurumNetworks GurumDDS. The CVSS 3.1 vector is AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H, indicating local, low-complexity exploitation by a low-privileged user with no user interaction.
Likely exposure
Organizations using GurumDDS should treat all listed versions as potentially exposed until vendor or CISA guidance says otherwise. Exposure is most relevant on systems where low-privileged local users or processes can interact with GurumDDS components.
Exploitation context
The source bundle does not show CISA KEV listing or cited active exploitation. No public exploit status is provided here. The CVSS vector indicates local access is required, with high potential availability impact if the flaw is triggered.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE record and CISA ICS advisory reference. The affected range is broad: all versions. Validation should focus on confirming GurumDDS presence, reachable local attack surfaces, crash indicators, and any later vendor remediation guidance.
Mitigation direction
- Inventory systems running GurumNetworks GurumDDS.
- Review CISA and vendor guidance for current remediation.
- Apply vendor-provided updates or mitigations when available.
- Restrict low-privileged local access on affected hosts.
- Monitor affected systems for crashes or abnormal service behavior.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether GurumDDS is installed on operational systems.
- Record installed versions and deployment locations.
- Check CISA and vendor advisories for fixed or mitigated versions.
- Review host logs for unexpected GurumDDS faults or restarts.
- Verify local access is limited to authorized users.
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-131: 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-2021-38423 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
- 6.6 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/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:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H1.84.7Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.6MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.cisa.gov/uscert/ics/advisories/icsa-21-315-02CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
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.
Incorrect Calculation of Buffer Size
Incorrect Calculation of Buffer Size represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.