CVE-2021-33294
In elfutils 0.183, an infinite loop was found in the function handle_symtab in readelf.c .Which...
In elfutils 0.183, an infinite loop was found in the function handle_symtab in readelf.c .Which allows attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via crafted file.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- Required
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
5.5
In elfutils 0.183, an infinite loop was found in the function handle_symtab in readelf.c .Which allows attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via crafted file.
- Record
CVE-2021-33294- CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-835
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
In elfutils 0.183, an infinite loop was found in the function handle_symtab in readelf.c .Which allows attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via crafted file.
- Record
CVE-2021-33294- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2021-20005 No score
In elfutils 0.183, an infinite loop was found in the function handle_symtab in readelf.c .Which allows attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via crafted file.
- Record
EUVD-2021-20005- Updated
- 2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-827x-xjfm-cw2c
5.5
In elfutils 0.183, an infinite loop was found in the function handle_symtab in readelf.c .Which...
In elfutils 0.183, an infinite loop was found in the function handle_symtab in readelf.c .Which allows attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via crafted file.
- Record
GHSA-827x-xjfm-cw2c- CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-835
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
5.5
In elfutils 0.183, an infinite loop was found in the function handle_symtab in readelf.c .Which allows attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via crafted file.
- Record
CVE-2021-33294- CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2021-33294
5.5
In elfutils 0.183, an infinite loop was found in the function handle_symtab in readelf.c .Which allows attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via crafted file.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2021-33294- CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Show 4 moreShow less
OSVOESA-2023-1444
2.5
elfutils security update
Elfutils is a collection of utilities, including stack (to show backtraces), nm (for listing symbols from object files), size (for listing the section sizes of an object or archive file), strip (for discarding symbols), elflint (to check for well-formed ELF files) and elfcompress (to compress or decompress ELF sections). Also included are helper libraries which implement DWARF, ELF, and machine-specific ELF handling and process introspection. It also provides a DSO which allows reading and writing ELF files on a high level. Third party programs depend on this package to read internals of ELF files. Yama sysctl setting to enable default attach scope settings enabling programs to use ptrace attach, access to /proc/PID/{mem,personality,stack,syscall}, and the syscalls process_vm_readv and process_vm_writev which are used for interprocess services, communication and introspection (like synchronisation, signaling, debugging, tracing and profiling) of processes.
Security Fix(es):
In elfutils 0.183, an infinite loop was found in the function handle_symtab in readelf.c .Which allows attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via crafted file.(CVE-2021-33294)
- Record
OESA-2023-1444- CVSS 3.1
- 2.5 Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVOESA-2023-1445
2.5
elfutils security update
Elfutils is a collection of utilities, including stack (to show backtraces), nm (for listing symbols from object files), size (for listing the section sizes of an object or archive file), strip (for discarding symbols), elflint (to check for well-formed ELF files) and elfcompress (to compress or decompress ELF sections). Also included are helper libraries which implement DWARF, ELF, and machine-specific ELF handling and process introspection. It also provides a DSO which allows reading and writing ELF files on a high level. Third party programs depend on this package to read internals of ELF files. Yama sysctl setting to enable default attach scope settings enabling programs to use ptrace attach, access to /proc/PID/{mem,personality,stack,syscall}, and the syscalls process_vm_readv and process_vm_writev which are used for interprocess services, communication and introspection (like synchronisation, signaling, debugging, tracing and profiling) of processes.
Security Fix(es):
In elfutils 0.183, an infinite loop was found in the function handle_symtab in readelf.c .Which allows attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via crafted file.(CVE-2021-33294)
- Record
OESA-2023-1445- CVSS 3.1
- 2.5 Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2021-33294
5.5
In elfutils 0.183, an infinite loop was found in the function handle_symtab in readelf.c .Which allows attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via crafted file.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2021-33294- CVSS 3.1
- 5.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUSN-6322-1 No score
elfutils vulnerabilities
It was discovered that elfutils incorrectly handled certain malformed files. If a user or automated system were tricked into processing a specially crafted file, elfutils could be made to crash or consume resources, resulting in a denial of service. This issue only affected Ubuntu 14.04 LTS. (CVE-2018-16062, CVE-2018-16403, CVE-2018-18310, CVE-2018-18520, CVE-2018-18521, CVE-2019-7149, CVE-2019-7150, CVE-2019-7665)
It was discovered that elfutils incorrectly handled bounds checks in certain functions when processing malformed files. If a user or automated system were tricked into processing a specially crafted file, elfutils could be made to crash or consume resources, resulting in a denial of service. (CVE-2020-21047, CVE-2021-33294)
- Record
USN-6322-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
elfutilsDebian:12 |
before 0.185-2 | 0.185-2 |
elfutilsDebian:13 |
before 0.185-2 | 0.185-2 |
elfutilsDebian:14 |
before 0.185-2 | 0.185-2 |
elfutilsopenEuler:20.03-LTS-SP1 |
before 0.180-14.oe1 | 0.180-14.oe1 |
elfutilsopenEuler:20.03-LTS-SP3 |
before 0.180-14.oe1 | 0.180-14.oe1 |
elfutilsUbuntu:Pro:14.04:LTS |
before 0.158-0ubuntu5.3+esm1, plus listed versions 0.157-1ubuntu10.158-0ubuntu30.158-0ubuntu40.158-0ubuntu50.158-0ubuntu5.10.158-0ubuntu5.20.158-0ubuntu5.3 |
0.158-0ubuntu5.3+esm1 |
elfutilsUbuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS |
before 0.165-3ubuntu1.2+esm1, plus listed versions 0.163-4ubuntu10.163-5.10.164-10.165-30.165-3ubuntu10.165-3ubuntu1.10.165-3ubuntu1.2 |
0.165-3ubuntu1.2+esm1 |
elfutilsUbuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS |
before 0.170-0.4ubuntu0.1+esm1, plus listed versions 0.170-0.10.170-0.20.170-0.30.170-0.40.170-0.4ubuntu0.1 |
0.170-0.4ubuntu0.1+esm1 |
elfutilsUbuntu:20.04:LTS |
before 0.176-1.1ubuntu0.1, plus listed versions 0.176-1.10.176-1.1build1 |
0.176-1.1ubuntu0.1 |
elfutilsUbuntu:Pro:14.04:LTS From an advisory covering 10 CVEs |
before 0.158-0ubuntu5.3+esm1, plus listed versions 0.157-1ubuntu10.158-0ubuntu30.158-0ubuntu40.158-0ubuntu50.158-0ubuntu5.10.158-0ubuntu5.20.158-0ubuntu5.3 |
0.158-0ubuntu5.3+esm1 |
elfutilsUbuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS From an advisory covering 10 CVEs |
before 0.165-3ubuntu1.2+esm1, plus listed versions 0.163-4ubuntu10.163-5.10.164-10.165-30.165-3ubuntu10.165-3ubuntu1.10.165-3ubuntu1.2 |
0.165-3ubuntu1.2+esm1 |
elfutilsUbuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS From an advisory covering 10 CVEs |
before 0.170-0.4ubuntu0.1+esm1, plus listed versions 0.170-0.10.170-0.20.170-0.30.170-0.40.170-0.4ubuntu0.1 |
0.170-0.4ubuntu0.1+esm1 |
elfutilsUbuntu:20.04:LTS From an advisory covering 10 CVEs |
before 0.176-1.1ubuntu0.1, plus listed versions 0.176-1.10.176-1.1build1 |
0.176-1.1ubuntu0.1 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| affected, facts | ||
| first indexed | CVE List, EUVD, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2021-33294 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 5.5) in Elfutils Project Elfutils, published July 18, 2023. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.33%, the 26th percentile. Fixed in elfutils 0.185-2.
References
sourceware.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=27501
sourceware.org/pipermail/elfutils-devel/2021q1/003607.html
cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-398330.html
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-33294
github.com/advisories/GHSA-827x-xjfm-cw2c
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2021-33294
Show 14 moreShow less
openeuler.org/en/security/safety-bulletin/detail.html?id=openEuler-SA-2023-1444
openeuler.org/en/security/safety-bulletin/detail.html?id=openEuler-SA-2023-1445
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-33294
ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-6322-1
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-33294
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2018-16062
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2018-16403
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2018-18310
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2018-18520
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2018-18521
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2019-7149
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2019-7150
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2019-7665
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2020-21047