# CVE-2021-33589: Weak cryptography in n/a

> Attackers can decrypt data more easily than intended because the RNP library skips a required step in its cryptographic algorithm.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 21 Apr 2023
- **Updated:** 4 Feb 2025
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2021-33589, GHSA-85rv-559q-9c4r, UBUNTU-CVE-2021-33589, openSUSE-SU-2024:11302-1

## What is CVE-2021-33589?

CVE-2021-33589 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 21 Apr 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Ribose RNP before 0.15.1 does not implement a required step in a cryptographic algorithm, resulting in weaker encryption than on the tin of the algorithm.

Weakness: CWE-522 (Insufficiently Protected Credentials)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-33589?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Ribose Rnp.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-33589?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2021-33589 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-33589 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2023-29480](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-29480/): Information disclosure in n/a (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2023-29479](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-29479/): Ribose RNP before 0.16.3 may hang when the input is malformed. (medium 5.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-33589 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-33589 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 21 Apr 2023. 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-2021-33589 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. 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-2021-33589/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-33589/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-33589
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-33589
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-33589

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-33589/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.