# CVE-2021-44960: Null dereference in n/a

> A null pointer dereference in the SVG++ library allows attackers to cause a denial of service via crafted XML documents.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 15 Feb 2022
- **Updated:** 3 Nov 2025
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2021-44960, DLA-4337-1, GHSA-2259-5mcv-w35h, UBUNTU-CVE-2021-44960

## What is CVE-2021-44960?

CVE-2021-44960 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 15 Feb 2022. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

In SVGPP SVG++ library 1.3.0, the XMLDocument::getRoot function in the renderDocument function handled the XMLDocument object improperly, returning a null pointer in advance at the second if, resulting in a null pointer reference behind the renderDocument function.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2021-44960?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Svgpp Svgpp.

## How do I fix CVE-2021-44960?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2021-44960 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-44960 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2019-6246](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-6246/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2021-44960 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2021-44960 is a medium-severity vulnerability in n/a, published on 15 Feb 2022. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2021-44960 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: n/a. 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-2021-44960/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-44960/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-44960
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-44960
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2021-44960

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-44960/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.