Security readout for executives and security teams
CVE-2021-45960 affects Expat, a widely reused XML parsing library. In versions before 2.4.3, a flawed size calculation can cause unsafe memory allocation behavior while processing XML attributes. Because Expat is often embedded inside operating systems and products, exposure depends on where older libexpat versions are bundled. Likely exposure is systems, applications, and embedded products using libexpat before 2.4.3. The bundle includes Debian, Gentoo, NetApp, Siemens, and Tenable references, which indicates broad downstream dependency handling, but it does not identify one complete affected-product list. Treat this as a high-priority dependency update, especially for internet-facing or integration-heavy systems that parse XML. The main business risk is hidden exposure through bundled libraries, so remediation should combine patching with dependency inventory and vendor tracking. Mitigation focus: Upgrade libexpat to version 2.4.3 or later where directly managed.; Apply vendor security updates for OS packages and bundled products.; Inventory software and appliances that include Expat as a dependency..
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
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Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2021-45960 mapping review
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Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 8.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
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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:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H2.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://github.com/libexpat/libexpat/issues/531CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/libexpat/libexpat/pull/534CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1217609CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20220121-0004/CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://www.tenable.com/security/tns-2022-05CVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- DSA-5073CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_DEBIAN
- https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/pdf/ssa-484086.pdfCVE reference · x_refsource_CONFIRM
- GLSA-202209-24CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_GENTOO
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
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Incorrect Calculation
Incorrect Calculation represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.