CVE-2021-3177
CRITICALEPSS 97th pctlDescription
Python 3.x through 3.9.1 has a buffer overflow in PyCArg_repr in _ctypes/callproc.c, which may lead to remote code execution in certain Python applications that accept floating-point numbers as untrusted input, as demonstrated by a 1e300 argument to c_double.from_param. This occurs because sprintf is used unsafely.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Very high risk: more likely to be exploited than 97% of all known CVEs.
References
- https://bugs.python.org/issue42938
- https://github.com/python/cpython/pull/24239
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf9fa47ab66495c78bb4120b0754dd9531ca2ff0430f6685ac9b07772%40%3Cdev.mina.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/04/msg00005.html
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2022/02/msg00013.html
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/05/msg00024.html
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/BRHOCQYX3QLDGDQGTWQAUUT2GGIZCZUO/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/CCFZMVRQUKCBQIG5F2CBVADK63NFSE4A/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/FONHJIOZOFD7CD35KZL6SVBUTMBPGZGA/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/FPE7SMXYUIWPOIZV4DQYXODRXMFX3C5E/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/HCQTCSP6SCVIYNIRUJC5X7YBVUHPLSC4/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/MGSV6BJQLRQ6RKVUXK7JGU7TP4QFGQXC/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/MP572OLHMS7MZO4KUPSCIMSZIA5IZZ62/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/NODWHDIFBQE5RU5PUWUVE47JOT5VCMJ2/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/NQPARTLNSFQVMMQHPNBFOCOZOO3TMQNA/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/NXSMBHES3ANXXS2RSO5G6Q24BR4B2PWK/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/V6XJAULOS5JVB2L67NCKKMJ5NTKZJBSD/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/Y4KSYYWMGAKOA2JVCQA422OINT6CKQ7O/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/YDTZVGSXQ7HR7OCGSUHTRNTMBG43OMKU/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/Z7GZV74KM72O2PEJN2C4XP3V5Q5MZUOO/
- https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26185005
- https://python-security.readthedocs.io/vuln/ctypes-buffer-overflow-pycarg_repr.html
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202101-18
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210226-0003/
- https://www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2022.html
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2022.html
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.html
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Start freeThis 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 2025-12-18.