# CVE-2021-42523: Information disclosure in colord > An attacker can read sensitive memory contents due to a memory leak in colord's SQLite error handling, potentially exposing private data. - **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:** 25 Aug 2022 - **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024 - **Also known as:** AZL-10716, CLSA-2026-1776761965, DEBIAN-CVE-2021-42523, GHSA-r93j-wmmw-g27p, MGASA-2022-0366, OESA-2022-1914, SUSE-SU-2022:3496-1, SUSE-SU-2022:4170-1, SUSE-SU-2022:4410-1, SUSE-SU-2025:20935-1, SUSE-SU-2025:20964-1, SUSE-SU-2025:3899-1, SUSE-SU-2025:3949-1, SUSE-SU-2025:4483-1, openSUSE-SU-2024:12353-1 ## What is CVE-2021-42523? CVE-2021-42523 is a high-severity vulnerability in colord, published on 25 Aug 2022. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim. ### Official description There are two Information Disclosure vulnerabilities in colord, and they lie in colord/src/cd-device-db.c and colord/src/cd-profile-db.c separately. They exist because the 'err_msg' of 'sqlite3_exec' is not releasing after use, while libxml2 emphasizes that the caller needs to release it. Weakness: CWE-401 (Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime), CWE-200 (Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor) ## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-42523? It affects 1 product. | Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.2 | All versions | 1.4.4-150200.4.6.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | All versions | 1.4.5-150400.4.3.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.3 | All versions | 1.4.5-150400.4.9.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.4 | All versions | 1.4.5-150400.4.9.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Micro 5.5 | All versions | 1.4.5-150400.4.9.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP3 | All versions | 1.4.4-150200.4.6.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP4 | All versions | 1.4.5-150400.4.3.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP6 | All versions | 1.4.6-150600.3.8.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7 | All versions | 1.4.6-150600.3.8.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Desktop Applications 15 SP3 | All versions | 1.4.4-150200.4.6.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Desktop Applications 15 SP4 | All versions | 1.4.5-150400.4.3.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Desktop Applications 15 SP6 | All versions | 1.4.6-150600.3.8.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Desktop Applications 15 SP7 | All versions | 1.4.6-150600.3.8.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP6 | All versions | 1.4.6-150600.3.8.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Package Hub 15 SP7 | All versions | 1.4.6-150600.3.8.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5 | All versions | 1.3.3-13.3.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS | All versions | 1.3.3-13.9.2 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server LTSS Extended Security 12 SP5 | All versions | 1.3.3-13.9.2 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server for SAP Applications 12 SP5 | All versions | 1.3.3-13.3.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Software Development Kit 12 SP5 | All versions | 1.3.3-13.3.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 12 SP5 | All versions | 1.3.3-13.3.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP3 | All versions | 1.4.4-150200.4.6.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP4 | All versions | 1.4.5-150400.4.3.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP6 | All versions | 1.4.6-150600.3.8.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP7 | All versions | 1.4.6-150600.3.8.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Micro 6.0 | All versions | 1.4.6-4.1 | | `colord` | SUSE:Linux Micro 6.1 | All versions | 1.4.6-slfo.1.1_2.1 | | `colord` | openSUSE:Leap 15.3 | All versions | 1.4.4-150200.4.6.1 | | `colord` | openSUSE:Leap 15.4 | All versions | 1.4.5-150400.4.3.1 | | `colord` | openSUSE:Leap 15.6 | All versions | 1.4.6-150600.3.8.1 | | `colord` | openSUSE:Leap Micro 5.2 | All versions | 1.4.4-150200.4.6.1 | | `colord` | openSUSE:Tumbleweed | All versions | 1.4.6-2.1 | Products: Colord Project Colord. ## How do I fix CVE-2021-42523? Apply the vendor's patch. ## Is CVE-2021-42523 being exploited? There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-42523 in the wild and no public exploit code. ## Fix prompt for AI coding agents ```text Check this codebase for CVE-2021-42523 and fix it if it is affected. What it is: CVE-2021-42523 is a high-severity vulnerability in colord, published on 25 Aug 2022. 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-2021-42523 in the wild and no public exploit code. Affected product: colord. 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-2021-42523/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-42523/index.md) ``` ## Sources - CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-42523 - NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-42523 - OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-42523 --- From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-42523/ Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.