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CVE-2021-41816 — Buffer overrun in cgi — CVE Details

CRITICAL

Buffer overrun in CGI.escape_html

Published December 14, 2021Updated August 13, 2026Source: osv

Summary

A buffer overrun vulnerability was discovered in CGI.escape_html. This can lead to a buffer overflow when a user passes a very large string (> 700 MB) to CGI.escape_html on a platform where long type takes 4 bytes, typically, Windows.

Advisory Timeline

  • First published December 14, 2021 (1763 days ago).
  • Last revised August 13, 2026 — 1703 days after initial publication.

Remediation

Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.

Bundler
Update cgi to 0.2.1 or later
gem install cgi -v 0.2.1
Bundler
Update cgi to 0.1.0.1 or later
gem install cgi -v 0.1.0.1
Bundler
Update cgi to 0.3.1 or later
gem install cgi -v 0.3.1

After upgrading, run your dependency scanner again to confirm the vulnerability is resolved.

Affected Packages (3)

Affects 1 ecosystem: rubygems (1).

PackageEcosystemAffectedFixed In
cgi
rubygems
0.2.00.2.1
cgi
rubygems
0.1.00.1.0.1
cgi
rubygems
0.3.00.3.1

Vulnerability Classification

Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifiers for this vulnerability type.

CVSS Score Breakdown

What the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) 9.8 score means for each attack dimension.

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-41816?
Buffer overrun in CGI.escape_html This vulnerability has been assigned a severity rating of CRITICAL (CVSS score: 9.8/10).
How do I check if my project is affected by CVE-2021-41816?
CVE-2021-41816 affects cgi. Use GeekWala's free vulnerability scanner to check your dependencies against CVE-2021-41816 and 200,000+ other known vulnerabilities.

Severity & Exploitability

CVSS Score
9.8

Exploitation is straightforward and causes maximum impact. Patch immediately.

Also Known As

GHSA-5cqm-crxm-6qpv

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