# CVE-2021-23218: Memory Leak in Mirantis Container Runtime (MCR) running in FIPS mode causes a Denial of Service

> Attackers can cause denial of service via memory leaks during TLS handshakes in Mirantis Container Runtime when FIPS mode is enabled.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 10 Jan 2022
- **Updated:** 3 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-3v69-r3x2-qgp5

## What is CVE-2021-23218?

CVE-2021-23218 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Mirantis Container Runtime, published on 10 Jan 2022. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

When running with FIPS mode enabled, Mirantis Container Runtime 20.10.8 leaks memory during TLS Handshakes which could be abused to cause a denial of service.

Weakness: CWE-401 (Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-23218?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Mirantis Mirantis Container Runtime.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-23218?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-23218 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-23218 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-23218 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-23218 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-23218 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Mirantis Container Runtime, published on 10 Jan 2022. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-23218 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Mirantis Container Runtime. 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-2021-23218/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-23218/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-23218
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-23218
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-23218

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-23218/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.