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CVE Record

CVE-2021-42917: Buffer overflow vulnerability in Kodi xbmc up to 19.0, allows attackers to cause a denial of service due to...

Buffer overflow vulnerability in Kodi xbmc up to 19.0, allows attackers to cause a denial of service due to improper length of values passed to istream.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2021-42917 is a buffer overflow in Kodi xbmc up to 19.0. The stated impact is denial of service, meaning a vulnerable application could crash or become unavailable. The bundle does not provide CVSS scoring, confirmed affected package metadata, or evidence of active exploitation.

Executive priority

Handle through normal patch governance unless Kodi is business-critical or exposed to untrusted content. The known impact is service disruption, not data theft or code execution, but public fixes and distribution updates mean lingering vulnerable systems are avoidable.

Technical view

The issue is described as improper length handling for values passed to istream, causing a buffer overflow in Kodi xbmc up to 19.0. Public references include a GitHub issue, pull request, related commits, and a Debian LTS security update. The provided data does not name a CWE or detailed attack preconditions.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely where Kodi or xbmc builds up to 19.0 remain installed, especially from older OS packages. The structured affected-product fields are incomplete, so teams should verify against local package inventories and distribution advisories.

Exploitation context

No source in the bundle reports active exploitation, and KEV status is false. Public issue, pull request, and commit links show the vulnerability and fix are publicly documented. Treat it as a publicly known denial-of-service risk rather than confirmed in-the-wild exploitation.

Researcher notes

The bundle lacks CVSS, CWE, exact vulnerable code-path detail, and exploit preconditions. Analysis should stay bounded to denial of service from improper length handling in istream usage. Use the GitHub issue, PR, commits, and Debian advisory for version and patch confirmation.

Mitigation direction

  • Update Kodi or xbmc packages using vendor or distribution guidance.
  • Apply Debian LTS DLA 3712-1 packages where Debian LTS is in use.
  • Prioritize replacement of Kodi xbmc up to 19.0 builds.
  • Limit processing of untrusted inputs until patched, where operationally feasible.
  • Monitor Kodi and OS vendor advisories for package-specific fixes.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory systems for Kodi or xbmc installations.
  • Confirm installed versions are not Kodi xbmc up to 19.0 unless backported fixes exist.
  • Check distribution changelogs for DLA 3712-1 or referenced upstream commits.
  • Verify patched deployments still support expected media workflows.
  • Document any unsupported installations requiring removal or compensating controls.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
6

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

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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CVE-2021-42917 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
6Source 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

CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.