What is CVE-2021-38190?

CVE-2021-38190 is a critical-severity out-of-bounds write vulnerability in nalgebra (rust), affecting versions >= 0.11.0, < 0.27.1. It is fixed in 0.27.1. A write operation targets a memory location beyond the intended buffer boundary.

How severe is CVE-2021-38190?

CVE-2021-38190 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Which versions of nalgebra are affected by CVE-2021-38190?

nalgebra (rust) versions >= 0.11.0, < 0.27.1 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2021-38190?

Yes. CVE-2021-38190 is fixed in 0.27.1. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2021-38190 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2021-38190 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

What actually determines whether CVE-2021-38190 is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

CVE-2021-38190 in nalgebra

Q: How severe is CVE-2021-38190?

CVE-2021-38190 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Q: Which versions of nalgebra are affected by CVE-2021-38190?

nalgebra (rust) versions >= 0.11.0, < 0.27.1 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2021-38190?

Yes. CVE-2021-38190 is fixed in 0.27.1. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2021-38190 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2021-38190 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2021-38190 is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2021-38190?

Upgrade nalgebra to 0.27.1 or later.

Summary

Out of bounds write in nalgebra

The Deserialize implementation for VecStorage did not maintain the invariant that the number of elements must equal nrows * ncols. Deserialization of specially crafted inputs could allow memory access beyond allocation of the vector.

This flaw was introduced in v0.11.0 (086e6e) due to the addition of an automatically derived implementation of Deserialize for MatrixVec. MatrixVec was later renamed to VecStorage in v0.16.13 (0f66403) and continued to use the automatically derived implementation of Deserialize.

Impact

A write operation targets a memory location beyond the intended buffer boundary. Typical impact: memory corruption, crash, or arbitrary code execution.

CVE-2021-38190 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (0.27.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

nalgebra (>= 0.11.0, < 0.27.1)

Security releases

nalgebra → 0.27.1 (rust)

Kodem intelligence

Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.

Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.

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Remediation advice

Upgrade nalgebra to 0.27.1 or later to resolve this vulnerability.

Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-38190? CVE-2021-38190 is a critical-severity out-of-bounds write vulnerability in nalgebra (rust), affecting versions >= 0.11.0, < 0.27.1. It is fixed in 0.27.1. A write operation targets a memory location beyond the intended buffer boundary.
How severe is CVE-2021-38190? CVE-2021-38190 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
Which versions of nalgebra are affected by CVE-2021-38190? nalgebra (rust) versions >= 0.11.0, < 0.27.1 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2021-38190? Yes. CVE-2021-38190 is fixed in 0.27.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2021-38190 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2021-38190 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
What actually determines whether CVE-2021-38190 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
How do I fix CVE-2021-38190? Upgrade nalgebra to 0.27.1 or later.