BlackTreeCVE Intelligence
← Back to the CVE catalogue
Full vulnerability report · 2021
CVE-2021-38185High confidence

GNU cpio through 2.13 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted pattern file, because of a dstring.c ds_fgetstr integer overflow that triggers an out-of-bounds heap write

Unknown · Unknown

Official source article: Siemens SSA-202008 ↗. Check the applicable product and release in the original source.

7.8HighCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Patch only the product branches with a verified fix

High technical severity with public exploit material referenced by a structured source; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance. Verified remediation exists for at least one product or source, but 11 structured product or package states remain unresolved. Apply remediation only to the exact product branch confirmed by its source.

Fix availability varies by product
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityHighOperational priority:High, unchanged from published severity.unchanged

Evidence used

  • No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
  • A structured source references public exploit or proof-of-concept material.
  • EPSS is 4.17% for the current model date.

Compensating controls

  • Validate the affected product branch and deploy the verified fixed release.
  • Restrict local access and enforce least privilege on affected hosts.
  • Increase monitoring for the attack path and post-exploitation behaviour described in the report.

Verification

  1. Confirm that the asset runs Unknown Unknown and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: Within 30 daysRemediation target: Within 180 days

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Cross-source reconciliation

Remediation availability differs by product scope

Verified remediation exists for at least one product or source, but 11 structured product or package states remain unresolved. Apply remediation only to the exact product branch confirmed by its source.

Distribution package intelligence

Release-specific package status

Alpine, Debian findings are scoped to the named distribution, release and source package. An absent finding does not mean a package is unaffected.

7 package states
Repository candidate not checked

A published vendor fix does not prove that a matching update is enabled and installable on a particular asset. Confirm the local package candidate before scheduling remediation.

Distribution releaseSource packageVendor stateFixed versionEvidence
Alpine v3.23v3.23 · communitycpioVendor fix publishedAlpine records a security fix at this version. An absent entry does not mean the package is unaffected.2.13-r2Alpine Security Database ↗Source updated 11 Sep 2026
Alpine v3.22v3.22 · communitycpioVendor fix publishedAlpine records a security fix at this version. An absent entry does not mean the package is unaffected.2.13-r2Alpine Security Database ↗Source updated 11 Sep 2026
Alpine v3.21v3.21 · communitycpioVendor fix publishedAlpine records a security fix at this version. An absent entry does not mean the package is unaffected.2.13-r2Alpine Security Database ↗Source updated 19 Aug 2026
Debian trixietrixie · sourcecpioVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.2.13+dfsg-5Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 6 Oct 2026
Debian bookwormbookworm · sourcecpioVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.2.13+dfsg-5Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 6 Oct 2026
Debian forkyforky · sourcecpioVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.2.13+dfsg-5Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 6 Oct 2026
Debian sidsid · sourcecpioVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.2.13+dfsg-5Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 6 Oct 2026
Direct vendor intelligence

Authoritative vendor CSAF and VEX advisories

Structured product status and remediation from the issuing vendor. Product-state explanations are always visible; large lists can be searched or downloaded.

1 current
SSA-202008 · CSAF 2.0 · revision 1 · interimSiemens ProductCERTSSA-202008: Multiple Vulnerabilities in Ruggedcom Rox Before V2.17.0
11 known affected

The vendor explicitly identifies these products as affected by this CVE.

  • RUGGEDCOM ROX MX5000
  • RUGGEDCOM ROX MX5000RE
  • RUGGEDCOM ROX RX1400
  • RUGGEDCOM ROX RX1500
  • RUGGEDCOM ROX RX1501
  • RUGGEDCOM ROX RX1510
  • RUGGEDCOM ROX RX1511
  • RUGGEDCOM ROX RX1512
  • RUGGEDCOM ROX RX1524
  • RUGGEDCOM ROX RX1536
  • RUGGEDCOM ROX RX5000
Summary
GNU cpio through 2.13 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted pattern file, because of a dstring.c ds_fgetstr integer overflow that triggers an out-of-bounds heap write. NOTE: it is unclear whether there are common cases where the pattern file, associated with the -E option, is untrusted data.
Remediation
Update to V2.17.0 or later version
Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2021-24655

No EUVD known-exploited evidence

ENISA has published the identifier mapping but no EUVD description has been stored yet.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Not present in the current ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset. This is not proof of no exploitation.
ENISA score
Not supplied in the stored EUVD record
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionPatch only the product branches with a verified fix

High technical severity with public exploit material referenced by a structured source; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance. Verified remediation exists for at least one product or source, but 11 structured product or package states remain unresolved. Apply remediation only to the exact product branch confirmed by its source.

Fix availability varies by product
01

What, why and how

GNU cpio through 2.13 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted pattern file, because of a dstring.c ds_fgetstr integer overflow that triggers an out-of-bounds heap write. NOTE: it is unclear whether there are common cases where the pattern file, associated with the -E option, is untrusted data.

What

GNU cpio through 2.13 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted pattern file, because of a dstring.c ds_fgetstr integer overflow that triggers an out-of-bounds heap write. NOTE: it is unclear whether there are common cases where the pattern file, associated with the -E option, is untrusted data.

Why

The product performs a calculation that can produce an integer overflow or wraparound when the logic assumes that the resulting value will always be larger than the original value. This occurs when an integer value is incremented to a value that is too large to store in the associated representation. When this occurs, the value may become a very small or negative number.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation without authentication after a user interaction. If successful, the issue may execute code or commands in the affected security context.

What

GNU cpio through 2.13 allows attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted pattern file, because of a dstring.c ds_fgetstr integer overflow that triggers an out-of-bounds heap write. NOTE: it is unclear whether there are common cases where the pattern file, associated with the -E option, is untrusted data.

Why

The product performs a calculation that can produce an integer overflow or wraparound when the logic assumes that the resulting value will always be larger than the original value. This occurs when an integer value is incremented to a value that is too large to store in the associated representation. When this occurs, the value may become a very small or negative number.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation without authentication after a user interaction. If successful, the issue may execute code or commands in the affected security context.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
No confirmed evidence

No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
Reference recorded

A structured CVE source labels at least one public reference as exploit material. BlackTree has not independently validated that it is safe, reliable or weaponised.

Likely attack path
local access → Integer Overflow or Wraparound → execute code or commands in the affected security context
Attack surface
Local
Privileges required
None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
User interaction
Required interaction required
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-190 ↗

CWE-190: Integer Overflow or Wraparound. The product performs a calculation that can produce an integer overflow or wraparound when the logic assumes that the resulting value will always be larger than the original value. This occurs when an integer value is incremented to a value that is too large to store in the associated representation. When this occurs, the value may become a very small or negative number.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVLocalAttack vector: The attacker needs local access to the vulnerable system.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UIRequiredUser interaction: Another user must perform an action for exploitation to succeed.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
After compromise, an attacker may use built-in shells, scripting engines, scheduled tasks and native network utilities for discovery, persistence or movement. This is a plausible LoTL path, not evidence that it has occurred for every attack.
UnauthenticatedRemote code executionCWE-190Public exploit reference
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

BSI · German · WID-SEC-2022-1852cpio: Schwachstelle ermöglicht Codeausführung

Ein lokaler Angreifer kann eine Schwachstelle in cpio ausnutzen, um beliebigen Programmcode auszuführen.

Official advisory ↗
Cyber Security Agency of Singapore · English · CSA-SB-20210811Security Bulletin 11 Aug 2021

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore included this CVE in its official Security Bulletin 11 Aug 2021, published on 11 August 2021. Open the linked bulletin for the product, severity and reference information published in that issue.

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2022-AVI-952Multiples vulnérabilités dans IBM QRadar

correctifs (cf. section Documentation). Documentation Bulletin de sécurité IBM 6831853 du 25 octobre 2022 https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/6831853 Bulletin de sécurité IBM 6831855 du 25 octobre 2022 https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/node/6831855 Référence CVE CVE-2018-25032 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-25032 Référence CVE CVE-2020-15522 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-15522 Référence CVE CVE-2021-33036 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-33036 Référence CVE CVE-2021-3634 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-3634 Référence CVE CVE-2021-37404 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-37404 Référence CVE CVE-2021-38185 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-38185 Référence CVE CVE-2022-0492 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-0492 Référence CVE CVE-2022-1154 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-1154 Référence CVE CVE-2022-1271 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-1271 Référence CVE CVE-2022-1552 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-1552 Référence CVE CVE-2022-1729 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-1729 Référence CVE CVE-2022-1966 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-1966 Référence CVE CVE-2022-2047 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-2047 Référence CVE CVE-2022-2048 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2022-2048 R

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2021-009776GNU cpio における整数オーバーフローの脆弱性

GNU cpio には、整数オーバーフローの脆弱性が存在します。

Official advisory ↗
NCSC-NL · Dutch · NCSC-2025-0382Kwetsbaarheden verholpen in Siemens producten

GNU cpio version 2.13 is vulnerable to remote code execution due to an integer overflow in the ds_fgetstr function when processing specially crafted pattern files.

Official advisory ↗
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Fix availability varies by product
Affected
Fixed
Update to V2.17.0 or later version
Action
Use the product-specific evidence above. Patch only products with a verified fixed release, and keep every affected or under-investigation state without a matching fix in the remediation queue.
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. Limit untrusted access and use least privilege until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 7 Aug 2021 · Last source change 9 Jun 2025, 15:11 UTC · CWE-190 · Integer Overflow or Wraparound

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceNIST NVD
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-08-14
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2021-24655
Product sourceVendor CSAF · Siemens ProductCERT
Remediation sourceVendor CSAF · Siemens ProductCERT
CWE sourceCISA ADP
NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment

Missing structured fields: affected product. Missing data is not evidence of low risk; review the primary advisory.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗
  1. Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
    Before
    n/a · Fixed: An authoritative update reference is available, but the fixed version is not recorded in the structured CVE fields. Check the linked vendor advisory for the applicable release.
    After
    n/a · Fixed: Update to V2.17.0 or later version
    Siemens ProductCERT ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2021-38185 · cve.blacktree.nl