What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-29221?

CVE-2021-29221 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.0 (High). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.6%.

Is there a public PoC exploit available for CVE-2021-29221?

Yes, a public proof-of-concept exploit is available for CVE-2021-29221. Prioritise patching immediately. EPSS: 0.6%.

Erlang CVE-2021-29221

HIGH

Untrusted Search Path (CWE-426)

2021-04-09 security@deepsurface.com

Privilege Escalation RCE Microsoft Erlang Otp Erlang

7.0

CVSS 3.1 · NVD

View

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness	CWE CWE-426 OWASP Top 10:2025 A08:2025 - Software or Data Integrity Failures ASVS 5.0 V13 - Configuration Search path verification
Impact	CVSS score of 7.0 (HIGH). Attack characteristics: local attack vector, high complexity, no privileges required, user interaction required. Public proof-of-concept exploit code is available.
Exploit ScenarioDerived	Successful exploitation could compromise the high-severity affected system.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).

No patch listed yet 0.6% exploitation probability (EPSS)

Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.

Alert me

AnalysisAI

A local privilege escalation vulnerability was discovered in Erlang/OTP prior to version 23.2.3. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.0), this vulnerability is no authentication required. Public exploit code available and no vendor patch available.

RemediationAI

No vendor patch is available at time of analysis. Monitor vendor advisories for updates. Apply vendor patches when available. Implement network segmentation and monitoring as interim mitigations.

Affects your stack

Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-426. A local privilege escalation vulnerability was discovered in Erlang/OTP prior to version 23.2.3. By adding files to an existing installation's directory, a local attacker could hijack accounts of other users running Erlang programs or possibly coerce a service running with "erlsrv.exe" to execute arbitrary code as Local System. This can occur only under specific conditions on Windows with unsafe filesystem permissions. Affected products include: Erlang Erlang\/Otp. Version information: version 23.2.3..

Know when Erlang gets its next vulnerability

Watch products and get an email when something new is published
Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

Continue with Google Continue with GitHub

No credit card · 7-day full trial

Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 7.0 HIGH

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

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

High

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

Required

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

DescriptionNVD

A local privilege escalation vulnerability was discovered in Erlang/OTP prior to version 23.2.3. By adding files to an existing installation's directory, a local attacker could hijack accounts of other users running Erlang programs or possibly coerce a service running with "erlsrv.exe" to execute arbitrary code as Local System. This can occur only under specific conditions on Windows with unsafe filesystem permissions.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score

0.6%

Top 56% exploitable

Exploit

POC

Public exploit code exists

Data Quality

3 sources

Confidence: Low

NVD

CVE.org

EPSS

GitHub

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue

Severity HIGH

CISA KEV No

Public POC Yes

EPSS 0.6%

Patch available No

Active threat No

Deciding rule

HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)

What every action level means

Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.

Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived

Scheduled

Exploitation· derived

Poc

System Exposure· derived

Small

Automatable· derived

Human Impact· derived

Medium

Priority Score

Low Medium High Critical

KEV: 0

EPSS: +1

CVSS: +35

PoC: +20

Weaponized: 0

Threat intel: 0

Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Privilege Escalation HIGH

Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.

Remote Code Execution CRITICAL

Remote Code Execution represents the critical moment when an attacker successfully runs arbitrary code on a target system without physical access.