CVE-2021-36978
5.5 · MEDIUMOverview
CVE-2021-36978 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting qpdf_project qpdf. It was published on July 20, 2021 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
Technical Description
QPDF 9.x through 9.1.1 and 10.x through 10.0.4 has a heap-based buffer overflow in Pl_ASCII85Decoder::write (called from Pl_AES_PDF::flush and Pl_AES_PDF::finish) when a certain downstream write fails.
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from qpdf_project. Update qpdf to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| qpdf_project | qpdf | 9.0.0 | Affected |
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2021-36978?
CVE-2021-36978 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting qpdf_project qpdf. It was published on July 20, 2021 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).
How severe is CVE-2021-36978?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2021-36978?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from qpdf_project. Update qpdf to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2021-36978?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2021-36978 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
How CyberStrike Helps
AI agents map your attack surface to find vulnerabilities like this one.
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