# CVE-2021-3474: Integer overflow in OpenEXR

> A crafted input file can cause a shift overflow in OpenEXR, leading to application crashes and denial of service.

- **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:** Yes
- **Published:** 30 Mar 2021
- **Updated:** 3 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** AZL-44640, DEBIAN-CVE-2021-3474, GHSA-7qrq-27q3-6362, UBUNTU-CVE-2021-3474

## What is CVE-2021-3474?

CVE-2021-3474 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 30 Mar 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

There's a flaw in OpenEXR in versions before 3.0.0-beta. A crafted input file that is processed by OpenEXR could cause a shift overflow in the FastHufDecoder, potentially leading to problems with application availability.

Weakness: CWE-190 (Integer Overflow or Wraparound)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-3474?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Debian Debian Linux, Openexr Openexr.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-3474?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2021-3474 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-3474 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Debian Debian Linux

- [CVE-2015-3306](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-3306/): ProFTPD Improper Access Control (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-49113](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-49113/): RoundCube Webmail Deserialization of Untrusted Data (critical 9.9, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-24061](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24061/): GNU InetUtils Argument Injection (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-39682](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-39682/): Linux Kernel Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-9680](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-9680/): Mozilla Firefox Use-After-Free (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-3474 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-3474 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 30 Mar 2021. 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-2021-3474 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Debian Debian Linux. 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-2021-3474/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-3474/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-3474
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-3474
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-3474

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-3474/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.