# CVE-2021-38623: Improper Resource Shutdown or Release in TYPO3 extension

> An attacker can cause a denial of service by exhausting disk space through the FAL API in the TYPO3 deferred image processing extension.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 13 Aug 2021
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-34jq-548x-m2x9

## What is CVE-2021-38623?

CVE-2021-38623 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in n/a, published on 13 Aug 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The deferred_image_processing (aka Deferred image processing) extension before 1.0.2 for TYPO3 allows Denial of Service via the FAL API because of /var/transient disk consumption.

Weakness: CWE-404 (Improper Resource Shutdown or Release)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-38623?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including webcoast/deferred-image-processing. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `webcoast/deferred-image-processing` | Packagist | All versions | 1.0.2 |
| `webcoast/deferred-image-processing` | Packagist | All versions | 1.0.2 |

Products: Deferred Image Processing Project Deferred Image Processing.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-38623?

Upgrade webcoast/deferred-image-processing to 1.0.2 or later.

## Is CVE-2021-38623 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-38623 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-38623 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-38623 is a high-severity denial of service vulnerability in n/a, published on 13 Aug 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-2021-38623 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- webcoast/deferred-image-processing (Packagist): affected all versions; fixed in 1.0.2
- webcoast/deferred-image-processing (Packagist): affected all versions; fixed in 1.0.2

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-2021-38623/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-38623/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-38623
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-38623
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-38623

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-38623/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.