# CVE-2021-22922: Business logic in https://github.com/curl/curl

> Attackers can deliver malicious files via compromised metalink servers because curl fails to delete files with hash mismatches, requiring the metalink feature to be enabled.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 5 Aug 2021
- **Updated:** 14 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** ALPINE-CVE-2021-22922, AZL-6361, CLEANSTART-2026-LX97810, CURL-CVE-2021-22922, DEBIAN-CVE-2021-22922, GHSA-975f-fvhv-8mhx, JLSEC-2026-1335

## What is CVE-2021-22922?

CVE-2021-22922 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Fedoraproject Fedora, published on 5 Aug 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

When curl is instructed to download content using the metalink feature, thecontents is verified against a hash provided in the metalink XML file.The metalink XML file points out to the client how to get the same contentfrom a set of different URLs, potentially hosted by different servers and theclient can then download the file from one or several of them. In a serial orparallel manner.If one of the servers hosting the contents has been breached and the contentsof the specific file on that server is replaced with a modified payload, curlshould detect this when the hash of the file mismatches after a completeddownload. It should remove the contents and instead try getting the contentsfrom another URL. This is not done, and instead such a hash mismatch is onlymentioned in text and the potentially malicious content is kept in the file ondisk.

Weakness: CWE-755 (Improper Handling of Exceptional Conditions), CWE-840

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-22922?

It affects 16 products.


Products: Fedoraproject Fedora, Haxx Curl, Netapp Cloud Backup, Netapp Clustered Data Ontap, Netapp H300e Firmware, Netapp H300s Firmware, Netapp H410s Firmware, Netapp H500e Firmware, Netapp H500s Firmware, Netapp H700e Firmware, Netapp H700s Firmware, Netapp Hci Management Node, Netapp Solidfire, Oracle Mysql Server, Siemens Sinec Infrastructure Network Services, Splunk Universal Forwarder.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-22922?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2021-22922 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2021-22922 exists.

## Other vulnerabilities in Fedoraproject Fedora

- [CVE-2024-4577](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-4577/): PHP-CGI OS Command Injection (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2021-39226](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-39226/): Grafana Authentication Bypass (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2019-5544](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-5544/): VMware ESXi and Horizon DaaS OpenSLP Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-4947](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-4947/): Google Chromium V8 Type Confusion (critical 9.6, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-4671](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-4671/): Google Chromium Visuals Use-After-Free (critical 9.6, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-22922 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-22922 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Fedoraproject Fedora, published on 5 Aug 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2021-22922 exists.

Affected product: Fedoraproject Fedora. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-22922/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-22922/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-22922
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-22922
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-22922

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-22922/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.