CVE & CISA-KEV Catalog

CVE-2021-23017

HIGHEPSS 99th pctl
7.7
CVSS v3
NVD

Description

A security issue in nginx resolver was identified, which might allow an attacker who is able to forge UDP packets from the DNS server to cause 1-byte memory overwrite, resulting in worker process crash or potential other impact.

How to fix

Remediation Available
nginxDebian
Fixed in:1.18.0-6.1CVE-2021-23017
Fixed in:1.18.0-6.1CVE-2021-23017
Fixed in:1.18.0-6.1CVE-2021-23017
nginxUbuntu
Fixed in:1.4.6-1ubuntu3.9+esm2USN-4967-2

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2019-04-02.

Fixed in:1.10.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.5+esm1USN-4967-2

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2021-04-02.

Fixed in:1.14.0-0ubuntu1.9USN-4967-1

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2023-05-31. Extended security maintenance is available until 2028-04-01.

Fixed in:1.18.0-0ubuntu1.2USN-4967-1

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2025-05-31. Extended security maintenance is available until 2030-04-02.

nginx-commonUbuntu
Fixed in:1.4.6-1ubuntu3.9+esm2USN-4967-2

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2019-04-02.

Fixed in:1.10.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.5+esm1USN-4967-2

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2021-04-02.

Fixed in:1.14.0-0ubuntu1.9USN-4967-1

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2023-05-31. Extended security maintenance is available until 2028-04-01.

Fixed in:1.18.0-0ubuntu1.2USN-4967-1

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2025-05-31. Extended security maintenance is available until 2030-04-02.

nginx-coreUbuntu
Fixed in:1.4.6-1ubuntu3.9+esm2USN-4967-2

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2019-04-02.

Fixed in:1.10.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.5+esm1USN-4967-2

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2021-04-02.

Fixed in:1.14.0-0ubuntu1.9USN-4967-1

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2023-05-31. Extended security maintenance is available until 2028-04-01.

Fixed in:1.18.0-0ubuntu1.2USN-4967-1

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2025-05-31. Extended security maintenance is available until 2030-04-02.

nginx-extrasUbuntu
Fixed in:1.4.6-1ubuntu3.9+esm2USN-4967-2

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2019-04-02.

Fixed in:1.10.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.5+esm1USN-4967-2

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2021-04-02.

Fixed in:1.14.0-0ubuntu1.9USN-4967-1

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2023-05-31. Extended security maintenance is available until 2028-04-01.

Fixed in:1.18.0-0ubuntu1.2USN-4967-1

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2025-05-31. Extended security maintenance is available until 2030-04-02.

nginx-fullUbuntu
Fixed in:1.4.6-1ubuntu3.9+esm2USN-4967-2

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2019-04-02.

Fixed in:1.10.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.5+esm1USN-4967-2

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2021-04-02.

Fixed in:1.14.0-0ubuntu1.9USN-4967-1

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2023-05-31. Extended security maintenance is available until 2028-04-01.

Fixed in:1.18.0-0ubuntu1.2USN-4967-1

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2025-05-31. Extended security maintenance is available until 2030-04-02.

nginx-lightUbuntu
Fixed in:1.4.6-1ubuntu3.9+esm2USN-4967-2

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2019-04-02.

Fixed in:1.10.3-0ubuntu0.16.04.5+esm1USN-4967-2

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2021-04-02.

Fixed in:1.14.0-0ubuntu1.9USN-4967-1

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2023-05-31. Extended security maintenance is available until 2028-04-01.

Fixed in:1.18.0-0ubuntu1.2USN-4967-1

This Ubuntu release reached end-of-life on 2025-05-31. Extended security maintenance is available until 2030-04-02.

TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works

Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.

CVSS v3 Vector

Exploitability

Attack VectorNetwork
Attack ComplexityHigh
Privileges RequiredNone
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged

Impact

ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityLow

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L

Exploit Intelligence

53.46%probability of exploitation in 30 days
99thpercentile

Very high risk: more likely to be exploited than 99% of all known CVEs.

References

Related Vulnerabilities

Other CWE-193 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all

CVESeverityCVSSEPSSExploitedFix
CVE-2021-3156High7.8100%KEVFix
CVE-2003-0466Critical9.878%--
CVE-2023-44444High7.856%-Fix
CVE-2023-28709High7.548%-Fix
CVE-2018-8828Critical9.830%-Fix
CVE-2001-0609Critical9.818%--

Common questions

How do I fix CVE-2021-23017?

Published advisories record a fix for 7 affected products. The "How to fix" section on this page lists the fixed version and source advisory for each one, so apply the entry matching what you actually run.

Is CVE-2021-23017 being actively exploited?

Not that we know of. CVE-2021-23017 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 53.5% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 99% of all scored CVEs.

How severe is CVE-2021-23017?

CVE-2021-23017 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.7, rated high. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.

What does CVE-2021-23017 affect?

Published advisories record a fix for nginx (Debian), nginx (Ubuntu), nginx-common (Ubuntu), nginx-core (Ubuntu), and 3 more. Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.

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CVE-2021-23017 severity badge

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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2026-06-17.