CVE-2021-20217
A flaw was found in Privoxy in versions before 3.0.31. An assertion failure triggered by a...
A flaw was found in Privoxy in versions before 3.0.31. An assertion failure triggered by a crafted CGI request may lead to denial of service. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
7.5
A flaw was found in Privoxy in versions before 3.0.31. An assertion failure triggered by a crafted CGI request may lead to denial of service. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.
- Record
CVE-2021-20217- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 7.8 High
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C - Weakness
- CWE-617
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
A flaw was found in Privoxy in versions before 3.0.31. An assertion failure triggered by a crafted CGI request may lead to denial of service. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.
- Record
CVE-2021-20217- Weakness
- CWE-617
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2021-7660 No score
A flaw was found in Privoxy in versions before 3.0.31. An assertion failure triggered by a crafted CGI request may lead to denial of service. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.
- Record
EUVD-2021-7660- Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-r622-5ggq-2mh5 No score
A flaw was found in Privoxy in versions before 3.0.31. An assertion failure triggered by a...
A flaw was found in Privoxy in versions before 3.0.31. An assertion failure triggered by a crafted CGI request may lead to denial of service. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.
- Record
GHSA-r622-5ggq-2mh5- Weakness
- CWE-617
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVALPINE-CVE-2021-20217
7.5
A flaw was found in Privoxy in versions before 3.0.31. An assertion failure triggered by a crafted CGI request may lead to denial of service. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.
- Record
ALPINE-CVE-2021-20217- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
7.5
A flaw was found in Privoxy in versions before 3.0.31. An assertion failure triggered by a crafted CGI request may lead to denial of service. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.
- Record
CVE-2021-20217- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
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OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2021-20217
7.5
A flaw was found in Privoxy in versions before 3.0.31. An assertion failure triggered by a crafted CGI request may lead to denial of service. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2021-20217- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2021-20217
7.5
A flaw was found in Privoxy in versions before 3.0.31. An assertion failure triggered by a crafted CGI request may lead to denial of service. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2021-20217- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVMGASA-2021-0089 No score
Updated privoxy package fixes security vulnerabilities
Fixed a memory leak when decompression fails "unexpectedly". (CVE-2021-20216) Prevent an assertion from getting triggered by a crafted CGI request. (CVE-2021-20217)
- Record
MGASA-2021-0089- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2021:0265-1 No score
Security update for privoxy
This update for privoxy fixes the following issues:
- Update to version 3.0.31:
- Security/Reliability (boo#1181650)
- Prevent an assertion from getting triggered by a crafted CGI request. Commit 5bba5b89193fa. OVE-20210130-0001. CVE-2021-20217 Reported by: Joshua Rogers (Opera)
- Fixed a memory leak when decompression fails 'unexpectedly'. Commit f431d61740cc0. OVE-20210128-0001. CVE-2021-20216
- Bug fixes:
- Fixed detection of insufficient data for decompression. Previously Privoxy could try to decompress a partly uninitialized buffer.
- Security/Reliability (boo#1181650)
- Record
openSUSE-SU-2021:0265-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2021:0279-1 No score
Security update for privoxy
This update for privoxy fixes the following issues:
- Update to version 3.0.31:
- Security/Reliability (boo#1181650)
- Prevent an assertion from getting triggered by a crafted CGI request. Commit 5bba5b89193fa. OVE-20210130-0001. CVE-2021-20217 Reported by: Joshua Rogers (Opera)
- Fixed a memory leak when decompression fails 'unexpectedly'. Commit f431d61740cc0. OVE-20210128-0001. CVE-2021-20216
- Bug fixes:
- Fixed detection of insufficient data for decompression. Previously Privoxy could try to decompress a partly uninitialized buffer.
- Security/Reliability (boo#1181650)
This update was imported from the openSUSE:Leap:15.2:Update update project.
- Record
openSUSE-SU-2021:0279-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2024:11193-1 No score
privoxy-3.0.32-2.3 on GA media
These are all security issues fixed in the privoxy-3.0.32-2.3 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.
- Record
openSUSE-SU-2024:11193-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUSN-4886-1 No score
privoxy vulnerabilities
It was discovered that Privoxy incorrectly handled CGI requests. An attacker could possibly use this issue to cause a denial of service or obtain sensitive information. (CVE-2020-35502, CVE-2021-20209, CVE-2021-20210, CVE-2021-20213, CVE-2021-20215, CVE-2021-20216, CVE-2021-20217, CVE-2021-20272, CVE-2021-20273, CVE-2021-20275)
It was discovered that Privoxy incorrectly handled certain regular expressions. An attacker could possibly use this issue to cause a denial of service or obtain sensitive information. (CVE-2021-20212, CVE-2021-20276)
It was discovered that Privoxy incorrectly handled client tags. An attacker could possibly use this issue to cause Privoxy to consume resources, resulting in a denial of service. This issue only affected Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and Ubuntu 20.10. (CVE-2021-20211)
It was discovered that Privoxy incorrectly handled client tags. An attacker could possibly use this issue to cause Privoxy to consume resources, resulting in a denial of service. This issue only affected Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and Ubuntu 20.10. (CVE-2021-20214)
- Record
USN-4886-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
privoxyAlpine:v3.12 |
before 3.0.31-r0 | 3.0.31-r0 |
privoxyAlpine:v3.13 |
before 3.0.31-r0 | 3.0.31-r0 |
privoxyAlpine:v3.14 |
before 3.0.31-r0 | 3.0.31-r0 |
privoxyAlpine:v3.15 |
before 3.0.31-r0 | 3.0.31-r0 |
privoxyAlpine:v3.16 |
before 3.0.31-r0 | 3.0.31-r0 |
privoxyAlpine:v3.17 |
before 3.0.31-r0 | 3.0.31-r0 |
privoxyAlpine:v3.18 |
before 3.0.31-r0 | 3.0.31-r0 |
privoxyAlpine:v3.19 |
before 3.0.31-r0 | 3.0.31-r0 |
privoxyAlpine:v3.20 |
before 3.0.31-r0 | 3.0.31-r0 |
privoxyAlpine:v3.21 |
before 3.0.31-r0 | 3.0.31-r0 |
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| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
privoxyAlpine:v3.22 |
before 3.0.31-r0 | 3.0.31-r0 |
privoxyAlpine:v3.23 |
before 3.0.31-r0 | 3.0.31-r0 |
privoxyAlpine:v3.24 |
before 3.0.31-r0 | 3.0.31-r0 |
privoxyDebian:12 |
before 3.0.31-1 | 3.0.31-1 |
privoxyDebian:13 |
before 3.0.31-1 | 3.0.31-1 |
privoxyDebian:14 |
before 3.0.31-1 | 3.0.31-1 |
privoxyDebian:9 From an advisory covering 9 CVEs |
before 3.0.26-3+deb9u1, plus listed versions 3.0.26-3 |
3.0.26-3+deb9u1 |
privoxyMageia:7 From an advisory covering 2 CVEs |
before 3.0.31-1.mga7 | 3.0.31-1.mga7 |
privoxyUbuntu:Pro:14.04:LTS |
before 3.0.21-7+deb8u1ubuntu0.1~esm1, plus listed versions 3.0.21-13.0.21-23.0.21-7+deb8u1build0.14.04.1 |
3.0.21-7+deb8u1ubuntu0.1~esm1 |
privoxyUbuntu:16.04:LTS |
before 3.0.24-1ubuntu0.1, plus listed versions 3.0.23-33.0.23-43.0.23-53.0.24-1 |
3.0.24-1ubuntu0.1 |
privoxyUbuntu:18.04:LTS |
before 3.0.26-5ubuntu0.1, plus listed versions 3.0.26-33.0.26-43.0.26-5 |
3.0.26-5ubuntu0.1 |
privoxyUbuntu:20.04:LTS |
before 3.0.28-2ubuntu0.1, plus listed versions 3.0.28-2 |
3.0.28-2ubuntu0.1 |
privoxyUbuntu:Pro:14.04:LTS From an advisory covering 14 CVEs |
before 3.0.21-7+deb8u1ubuntu0.1~esm1, plus listed versions 3.0.21-13.0.21-23.0.21-7+deb8u1build0.14.04.1 |
3.0.21-7+deb8u1ubuntu0.1~esm1 |
privoxyUbuntu:16.04:LTS From an advisory covering 14 CVEs |
before 3.0.24-1ubuntu0.1, plus listed versions 3.0.23-33.0.23-43.0.23-53.0.24-1 |
3.0.24-1ubuntu0.1 |
privoxyUbuntu:18.04:LTS From an advisory covering 14 CVEs |
before 3.0.26-5ubuntu0.1, plus listed versions 3.0.26-33.0.26-43.0.26-5 |
3.0.26-5ubuntu0.1 |
privoxyUbuntu:20.04:LTS From an advisory covering 14 CVEs |
before 3.0.28-2ubuntu0.1, plus listed versions 3.0.28-2 |
3.0.28-2ubuntu0.1 |
privoxyopenSUSE:Leap 15.2 From an advisory covering 2 CVEs |
before 3.0.31-lp152.3.6.1 | 3.0.31-lp152.3.6.1 |
privoxySUSE:Package Hub 15 SP2 From an advisory covering 2 CVEs |
before 3.0.31-bp152.4.6.1 | 3.0.31-bp152.4.6.1 |
privoxyopenSUSE:Tumbleweed From an advisory covering 7 CVEs |
before 3.0.32-2.3 | 3.0.32-2.3 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| affected, facts | ||
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2021-20217 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.5) in Privoxy, published February 5, 2021. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.37%, the 72nd percentile. Fixed in privoxy 3.0.31-r0.
References
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1923252
security.gentoo.org/glsa/202107-16
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-20217
github.com/advisories/GHSA-r622-5ggq-2mh5
security.alpinelinux.org/vuln/CVE-2021-20217
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2021-20217
Show 32 moreShow less
advisories.mageia.org/MGASA-2021-0089.html
bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=28281
privoxy.org/announce.txt
openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/02/04/4
lists.opensuse.org/archives/list/[email protected]/thread/LYXYETZZHYGLBE3WLXSZCYBO5VDRKFDT
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-20217
openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/01/31/2
privoxy.org/gitweb?p=privoxy.git;a=commit;h=5bba5b89193fa2eeea51aa39fb6525c47b59a82a
ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-4886-1
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-20217
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2020-35502
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-20209
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-20210
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-20211
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-20212
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-20213
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-20214
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-20215
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-20216
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-20272
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-20273
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-20275
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-20276
bugzilla.suse.com/1181650
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-20216
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-20217
lists.opensuse.org/archives/list/[email protected]/thread/OB5C3CKHSROKXDMILX7JOD3PKW2CMF6X
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-20272
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-20273
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-20274
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-20275
suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-20276