Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A Perl library used to handle IP address ranges can mis-handle IPs with leading zeros. If an application relies on this library for allowlists, blocklists, or network access decisions, crafted input could cause the application to interpret an IP address differently than intended and potentially bypass controls.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted remediation item for applications that make security decisions based on IP ranges. It is not currently evidenced as exploited, but it can affect access control integrity in exposed services using vulnerable library versions.
Technical view
Net::CIDR before 0.24 may return CIDR strings with leading zeros from addr2cidr and cidrlookup. Later consumers may parse those octets as octal values. The CVE notes possible IP-based access control bypass when untrusted input is processed without cidrvalidate. CVSS is 6.5, CWE-704.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely in Perl applications using Net::CIDR before 0.24 for IP allowlists, deny lists, routing logic, or authorization checks, especially where CIDR or IP input is user-controlled or externally supplied.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not show active exploitation, and the CVE is not marked KEV. Exploitation depends on application logic: the library output must feed a downstream parser or decision point that treats leading-zero octets as octal.
Researcher notes
Key uncertainty is application impact. The library flaw alone is context-dependent; prioritize review of call sites where untrusted IP or CIDR data reaches addr2cidr or cidrlookup and the result influences allow, deny, or trust decisions.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade Net::CIDR to version 0.24 or later where available.
- Review vendor release notes and the referenced patch before deployment.
- Validate untrusted CIDR strings with cidrvalidate as documented.
- Normalize or reject IP strings containing ambiguous leading-zero octets.
- Audit access-control code paths that depend on Net::CIDR output.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Perl dependencies for Net::CIDR and identify versions below 0.24.
- Search code for addr2cidr, cidrlookup, and cidrvalidate usage.
- Confirm untrusted input is validated before CIDR conversion or lookup.
- Test authorization decisions with leading-zero IP inputs in a safe environment.
- Verify upgraded deployments no longer emit ambiguous leading-zero CIDR strings.
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-704: 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-2021-4456 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
- 6.5 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
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:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N3.92.5Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
6.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://blog.urth.org/2021/03/29/security-issues-in-perl-ip-address-distros/CVE reference · related
- https://github.com/svarshavchik/Net-CIDR/commit/e3648c6bc6bdd018f90cca4149c467017d42bd10CVE reference · patch
- https://metacpan.org/dist/Net-CIDR/changesCVE reference · release-notes
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 Type Conversion or Cast
Incorrect Type Conversion or Cast represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.
