# CVE-2021-3659: A NULL pointer dereference flaw was found in the Linux kernel’s IEEE 802.15.4 wireless networking subsystem in the way the user closes the LR-WPAN connection.


- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 22 Aug 2022
- **Updated:** 3 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2021-3659, GHSA-578w-3cjw-832g, UBUNTU-CVE-2021-3659

## What is CVE-2021-3659?

CVE-2021-3659 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Fedoraproject Fedora, published on 22 Aug 2022. 

### Official description

A NULL pointer dereference flaw was found in the Linux kernel’s IEEE 802.15.4 wireless networking subsystem in the way the user closes the LR-WPAN connection. This flaw allows a local user to crash the system. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference), CWE-252 (Unchecked Return Value)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-3659?

It affects 15 products.


Products: Fedoraproject Fedora, Linux kernel, Redhat Codeready Linux Builder, Redhat Enterprise Linux, Redhat Enterprise Linux for Ibm Z Systems, Redhat Enterprise Linux for Ibm Z Systems Eus, Redhat Enterprise Linux for Power Little Endian Eus, Redhat Enterprise Linux for Real Time, Redhat Enterprise Linux for Real Time for Nfv, Redhat Enterprise Linux for Real Time for Nfv Tus, Redhat Enterprise Linux for Real Time Tus, Redhat Enterprise Linux Server Aus, Redhat Enterprise Linux Server Eus, Redhat Enterprise Linux Server Tus, Redhat Virtualization Host.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-3659?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2021-3659 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-3659 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## 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-2021-3659 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-3659 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Fedoraproject Fedora, published on 22 Aug 2022. 
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-3659 in the wild and no public exploit code.

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-2021-3659/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-3659/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-3659
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-3659
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-3659

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-3659/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.