# CVE-2021-41497: bounter Null pointer reference

> Attackers can cause a denial of service in the bounter library by inputting a huge hash bucket width, triggering a null pointer dereference.

- **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:** No
- **Published:** 17 Dec 2021
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-74xw-gwfm-7pv7

## What is CVE-2021-41497?

CVE-2021-41497 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 17 Dec 2021. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Null pointer reference in CMS_Conservative_increment_obj in RaRe-Technologies bounter version 1.01 and 1.10, allows attackers to conduct Denial of Service attacks by inputting a huge width of hash bucket.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-41497?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including bounter. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `bounter` | PyPI | All versions to 1.2.0 | None |
| `bounter` | PyPI | All versions to 1.2.0 | None |

Products: Rare-Technologies Bounter.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-41497?

No fix has been published for CVE-2021-41497 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2021-41497 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-41497 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-41497 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-41497 is a high-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 17 Dec 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-2021-41497 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- bounter (PyPI): affected all versions up to 1.2.0; no fix listed
- bounter (PyPI): affected all versions up to 1.2.0; no fix listed

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-2021-41497/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-41497/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-41497
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-41497
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-41497

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-41497/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.