CVE-2021-31535

CRITICALNVD 9.89.8
EchelonGraph scoreMEDIUM confidence

“—” beside the score: it is equal to NVD's CVSS score.

This critical-severity CVE scores 9.8 under NVD CVSS v3. EPSS exploit probability: 11% (95th percentile of EPSS-scored CVEs). No GitHub Security Advisory CVSS is on record for this CVE.

Triggered by: Headline CVSS from NVD CVSS v3
Sources: EPSS, NVD CVSS v3
Trending — 4 sources updated this weekElevated
9.8EG
EchelonGraph verdictPlan a fixRemediate within your standard update timelines (the SSVC decision on this page).
  • High severity, but no confirmed exploitation yet
CISA-KEV: Not listedEPSS PROB: 11%CVSS: 9.8Exploit: No code on recordExposed services: Not assessed

A fix is available — apply it.

LookupCol.c in X.Org X through X11R7.7 and libX11 before 1.7.1 might allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. The libX11 XLookupColor request (intended for server-side color lookup) contains a flaw allowing a client to send color-name requests with a name longer than the maximum size allowed by the protocol (and also longer than the maximum packet size for normal-sized packets). The user-controlled data exceeding the maximum size is then interpreted by the server as additional X protocol requests and executed, e.g., to disable X server authorization completely. For example, if the victim encounters malicious terminal control sequences for color codes, then the attacker may be able to take full control of the running graphical session.

CVSS v3
9.8
EG Score
9.8CRITICALmedium confidence
EG Risk
60
EG Risk 60/100

EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score. It fuses impact severity (EG Severity, the CVSS base score, never the KEV-floored or EPSS-lifted EG Score) with real-world exploitation and automatability, under weights EchelonGraph set by hand, so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner.

How it’s computed (value × EchelonGraph’s weight)
Severity98% × 45%
Impact severity (EG Severity): CVSS 9.8 of 10. Never the KEV-floored or EPSS-lifted EG Score.
Exploitation40% × 40%
EchelonGraph's fixed weight for EG-KEV Tier 3 (Elevated): a constant, not a probability.
Automatability0% × 15%
CISA's BOD 26-04 default: no one has published Automatable for this CVE, and CISA treats it as “no” for a CVE not in KEV.
SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph): Track at low or medium mission impact; Track* at high (mission-essential systems).
Exploitation none (no CISA value, KEV listing or exploit code on record) · Automatable no (CISA's BOD 26-04 default) · Technical impact total (CISA's BOD 26-04 default). EchelonGraph holds no SSVC assessment of this CVE from CISA: none of these inputs is from Vulnrichment. EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE.
Action: A fix is available. Apply it within your standard update timelines.
EPSS PROB
11%
EPSS %ILE
95th
KEV
Not listed

What the EG score is made of (scorer v4.0: the three questions the 0–10 score mixes, published apart · methodology)

The EG score (9.8): severity, escalated by confirmed exploitation. This CVE's 9.8 is its impact severity (EG Severity), not escalated.

EG Severity
9.8 CRITICALCVSS-B, impact only: no KEV listing, EPSS or EG-KEV tier raises it.NVD CVSS v3 · CVSS v3.0 or v3.1
EG Likelihood
11% within 30 daysSource: FIRST EPSS (model v2026.06.15, score date 2026-10-22). FIRST's exploitation probability, not an EchelonGraph model.
Confirmed exploitation
None on record (CISA KEV, EG-KEV Tier 1)Reported apart from the likelihood: an observed fact, not a probability.
EG Priority
SSVC Track at medium mission impactTrack at low or medium mission impact; Track* at high (mission-essential systems).CISA BOD 26-04: 14 days if the affected system is publicly exposed; Fix on system upgrade if it is not.Each input and its source: the SSVC and BOD 26-04 blocks below.

SSVC (CISA's decision table, applied by EchelonGraph)Track at low or medium mission impact; Track* at high (mission-essential systems).

A fix is available. Apply it within your standard update timelines.

Exploitation none (no CISA value, KEV listing or exploit code on record) · Automatable no (CISA's BOD 26-04 default) · Technical impact total (CISA's BOD 26-04 default). EchelonGraph holds no SSVC assessment of this CVE from CISA: none of these inputs is from Vulnrichment. EchelonGraph applied CISA's decision table to them; CISA publishes SSVC inputs and the table, not a decision for each CVE. Mission impact is CISA's Mission & Well-being decision point, and only you can judge it. CISA's table makes it high when Mission Prevalence is Essential — the vulnerable component "directly provides capabilities that constitute at least one MEF for at least one entity" (MEF: mission essential function) — or when Public Well-Being Impact is Irreversible: "multiple fatalities are likely", the cyber-physical system "is likely lost or destroyed", "extreme or serious externalities" are imposed on other parties, or social systems such as elections or the financial grid "are destabilized and potentially collapse". CISA's decision table

BOD 26-04 (CISA's remediation timeline, Table 1)14 days if the affected system is publicly exposed; Fix on system upgrade if it is not.

In CISA KEV no (CISA's KEV catalog) · Automatable no (CISA's BOD 26-04 default) · Technical impact total (CISA's BOD 26-04 default). Where an input reads “CISA's BOD 26-04 default”, no one has published it for this CVE, and CISA's implementation guidance says: “If “Automatable” and “Technical Impact” information items about a CVE ID are not available and the CVE ID is not in the KEV Catalog, CISA will treat its values as “no” and “total,” respectively, until CISA or a third party provides metadata about the CVE ID. CISA will always provide the Vulnrichment data for a CVE ID listed in the KEV Catalog.” Whether your system is publicly exposed is yours to answer. BOD 26-04 binds US Federal Civilian Executive Branch agencies; for anyone else it is CISA's published timeline, a reference rather than an obligation. The directive · how EchelonGraph applies it

Published

May 27, 2021

Last Modified

November 21, 2024

Advisory Details (10)

Auto-updated Oct 3, 2026
Patch available.
Web page

[SECURITY] Fedora 33 Update: libX11-1.7.2-3.fc33 - package-announce - Fedora mailing-lists

https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/TEOT4RLB76RVPJQKGGTIKTBIOLHX2NR6/
Web pageMentions a patch (unverified)

[SECURITY] [DLA 2666-1] libx11 security update

https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/05/msg00021.html
Web page

Reject string longer than USHRT_MAX before sending them on the wire (8d2e02ae) · Commits · xorg / lib / libX11 · GitLab

https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/xorg/lib/libx11/-/commit/8d2e02ae650f00c4a53deb625211a0527126c605
Web page

oss-security - libX11 security advisory: May 18, 2021

http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/05/18/2
Web page

Full Disclosure: CVE-2021-31535 libX11 Insufficient Length Checks PoC and Archeology

http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2021/May/52

Patch Availability(6)

Vendor / EcosystemFix (by version range) / PatchReleasedSource
ubuntulibx11-dev (2:1.7.0-2ubuntu0.1) @ hirsute2026-10-23ubuntu
ubuntulibx11-xcb1 (2:1.6.3-1ubuntu2.2+esm1) @ xenial2026-10-23ubuntu
redhatlibX11-0:1.6.8-5.el82021-11-09redhat
redhatredhat-virtualization-host-0:4.3.18-20210903.0.el7_92021-09-09redhat
redhatansible-tower-38/ansible-tower-rhel7:3.8.4-12021-09-08redhat
redhatlibX11-0:1.6.7-4.el7_92021-08-30redhat

Patches are aggregated from vendor advisories (Red Hat, Microsoft, Cisco, GitHub) and package ecosystems (OSV, GHSA). Multiple rows for the same upstream release have been deduplicated.

Affected Packages

(21 across 21 ecosystems)
Alpine:v3.10(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libx11—
  • every version up to 1.6.12-r1: fixed in 1.6.12-r1
—
Alpine:v3.11(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libx11—
  • every version up to 1.6.12-r1: fixed in 1.6.12-r1
—
Alpine:v3.12(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libx11—
  • every version up to 1.6.12-r1: fixed in 1.6.12-r1
—
Alpine:v3.13(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libx11—
  • every version up to 1.7.1-r0: fixed in 1.7.1-r0
—
Alpine:v3.14(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libx11—
  • every version up to 1.7.1-r0: fixed in 1.7.1-r0
—
Alpine:v3.15(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libx11—
  • every version up to 1.7.1-r0: fixed in 1.7.1-r0
—
Alpine:v3.16(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libx11—
  • every version up to 1.7.1-r0: fixed in 1.7.1-r0
—
Alpine:v3.17(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libx11—
  • every version up to 1.7.1-r0: fixed in 1.7.1-r0
—
Alpine:v3.18(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libx11—
  • every version up to 1.7.1-r0: fixed in 1.7.1-r0
—
Alpine:v3.19(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libx11—
  • every version up to 1.7.1-r0: fixed in 1.7.1-r0
—
Alpine:v3.20(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libx11—
  • every version up to 1.7.1-r0: fixed in 1.7.1-r0
—
Alpine:v3.21(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libx11—
  • every version up to 1.7.1-r0: fixed in 1.7.1-r0
—
Alpine:v3.22(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libx11—
  • every version up to 1.7.1-r0: fixed in 1.7.1-r0
—
Alpine:v3.23(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libx11—
  • every version up to 1.7.1-r0: fixed in 1.7.1-r0
—
Alpine:v3.24(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libx11—
  • every version up to 1.7.1-r0: fixed in 1.7.1-r0
—
Debian:10(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libx112:1.6.7-1, 2:1.6.7-1+deb10u1
  • every version up to 2:1.6.7-1+deb10u2: fixed in 2:1.6.7-1+deb10u2
—
Debian:11(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libx11—
  • every version up to 2:1.7.1-1: fixed in 2:1.7.1-1
—
Debian:12(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libx11—
  • every version up to 2:1.7.1-1: fixed in 2:1.7.1-1
—
Debian:13(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libx11—
  • every version up to 2:1.7.1-1: fixed in 2:1.7.1-1
—
Debian:14(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libx11—
  • every version up to 2:1.7.1-1: fixed in 2:1.7.1-1
—
Debian:9(1)
PackageVulnerable rangeFix by version rangeDependents
libx112:1.6.4-3, 2:1.6.4-3+deb9u1, 2:1.6.4-3+deb9u2, 2:1.6.4-3+deb9u3
  • every version up to 2:1.6.4-3+deb9u4: fixed in 2:1.6.4-3+deb9u4
—

Weakness Classification(1)

MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.

Additional Vendor Advisories

(3)

Vendors that published advisories for this CVE beyond the curated set above. Broader coverage but minimal per-row detail — click through for the original advisory.

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 27× in last 7d / 63× in last 30d)

Each row is a time one of our pipelines fetched, updated or re-scored this CVE. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. An arrow marks a change the record states ("CVSS v3 → 9.1"); EPSS and GHSA rows show the values recorded at that time, not what changed (EPSS values are rounded; hover one for the exact figures). Most recent first.

Showing the most recent 95 of 214 refreshes on record for this CVE.

A repeat, a row identical to one the same pipeline wrote less than 10 seconds earlier, is not a separate refresh and is not counted. 5 repeat rows among the latest 100 are merged into the row they repeat. The 119 oldest rows on record are not shown and were not checked, so the counts can still include repeats.

  1. 2026-10-23 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  2. 2026-10-23 15:18 UTCEG score recompute
  3. 2026-10-23 15:18 UTCVendor advisory
  4. 2026-10-23 15:18 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-3vp2-rf63-rc8p · GitHub severity CRITICAL
  5. 2026-10-22 16:29 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  6. 2026-10-22 14:43 UTCEG score recompute
  7. 2026-10-22 14:43 UTCVendor advisory
  8. 2026-10-22 14:43 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-3vp2-rf63-rc8p · GitHub severity CRITICAL
  9. 2026-10-21 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  10. 2026-10-21 14:08 UTCEG score recompute
  11. 2026-10-21 14:08 UTCVendor advisory
  12. 2026-10-21 14:08 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-3vp2-rf63-rc8p · GitHub severity CRITICAL
  13. 2026-10-20 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  14. 2026-10-20 13:24 UTCEG score recompute
  15. 2026-10-20 13:24 UTCVendor advisory
  16. 2026-10-20 13:24 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-3vp2-rf63-rc8p · GitHub severity CRITICAL
  17. 2026-10-19 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  18. 2026-10-19 12:48 UTCEG score recompute
  19. 2026-10-19 12:48 UTCVendor advisory
  20. 2026-10-19 12:48 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-3vp2-rf63-rc8p · GitHub severity CRITICAL
  21. 2026-10-18 11:14 UTCVendor advisory
  22. 2026-10-18 11:14 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-3vp2-rf63-rc8p · GitHub severity CRITICAL
  23. 2026-10-18 09:02 UTCEG score recompute
  24. 2026-10-17 16:29 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  25. 2026-10-17 09:38 UTCEG score recompute
Show 70 more
  1. 2026-10-17 09:38 UTCVendor advisory
  2. 2026-10-17 09:37 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-3vp2-rf63-rc8p · GitHub severity CRITICAL
  3. 2026-10-16 16:33 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  4. 2026-10-16 09:03 UTCEG score recompute
  5. 2026-10-16 09:03 UTCVendor advisory
  6. 2026-10-16 09:03 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-3vp2-rf63-rc8p · GitHub severity CRITICAL
  7. 2026-10-15 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  8. 2026-10-15 08:21 UTCEG score recompute
  9. 2026-10-15 08:21 UTCVendor advisory
  10. 2026-10-15 08:21 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-3vp2-rf63-rc8p · GitHub severity CRITICAL
  11. 2026-10-14 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  12. 2026-10-14 04:38 UTCEG score recompute
  13. 2026-10-14 04:38 UTCVendor advisory
  14. 2026-10-14 04:38 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-3vp2-rf63-rc8p · GitHub severity CRITICAL
  15. 2026-10-13 16:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  16. 2026-10-13 00:06 UTCVendor advisory
  17. 2026-10-13 00:06 UTCGHSA enrichmentGHSA-3vp2-rf63-rc8p · GitHub severity CRITICAL
  18. 2026-10-12 19:17 UTCEG score recompute
  19. 2026-10-12 16:29 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  20. 2026-10-11 23:42 UTCEG score recompute
  21. 2026-10-11 13:43 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  22. 2026-10-10 19:56 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  23. 2026-10-09 20:04 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  24. 2026-10-09 19:55 UTCOSV refresh
  25. 2026-10-08 16:39 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  26. 2026-10-07 23:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  27. 2026-10-06 15:14 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  28. 2026-10-05 17:40 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  29. 2026-10-04 23:19 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  30. 2026-10-03 14:22 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  31. 2026-10-01 19:46 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  32. 2026-09-30 15:35 UTCEG score recompute
  33. 2026-09-30 15:00 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  34. 2026-09-29 15:15 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  35. 2026-09-27 13:41 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  36. 2026-09-26 15:54 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  37. 2026-09-26 00:21 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  38. 2026-09-24 14:00 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  39. 2026-09-23 13:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  40. 2026-09-22 14:44 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  41. 2026-09-21 20:28 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  42. 2026-09-20 20:12 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  43. 2026-09-20 03:20 UTCOSV refresh
  44. 2026-09-19 15:38 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  45. 2026-09-18 19:23 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  46. 2026-09-17 19:23 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  47. 2026-09-16 14:05 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  48. 2026-09-15 03:06 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  49. 2026-09-12 14:57 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  50. 2026-09-11 14:49 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  51. 2026-09-11 09:33 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  52. 2026-09-08 21:56 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  53. 2026-09-07 15:58 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  54. 2026-09-06 13:45 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  55. 2026-09-05 15:25 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  56. 2026-09-04 13:57 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  57. 2026-09-04 05:03 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  58. 2026-09-02 14:08 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  59. 2026-09-01 13:50 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  60. 2026-09-01 06:53 UTCOSV refresh
  61. 2026-09-01 03:32 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  62. 2026-08-30 19:14 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  63. 2026-08-30 01:19 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  64. 2026-08-28 21:37 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  65. 2026-08-27 14:22 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  66. 2026-08-26 14:42 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  67. 2026-08-25 13:46 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  68. 2026-08-24 14:13 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  69. 2026-08-23 00:16 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile
  70. 2026-08-21 23:46 UTCEPSS rescoreEPSS 11% · 95th percentile

Frequently asked(5)

What is CVE-2021-31535?
CVE-2021-31535 is a critical-severity vulnerability; its CVE record was published on May 27, 2021. LookupCol.c in X.Org X through X11R7.7 and libX11 before 1.7.1 might allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. The libX11 XLookupColor request (intended for server-side color lookup) contains a flaw allowing a client to send color-name requests with a name longer than the maximum size…
When was the CVE record for CVE-2021-31535 published?
The CVE record for CVE-2021-31535 was published on May 27, 2021. That is the record's publication date; the vulnerability itself may have been made public earlier. EchelonGraph's copy of the record carries a last-modified date of November 21, 2024; the record at its source may have been updated since.
Is CVE-2021-31535 actively exploited?
CVE-2021-31535 is not currently on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. FIRST EPSS estimates a 11% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days (95th percentile of EPSS-scored CVEs).
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-31535?
CVE-2021-31535 has a CVSS v3 base score of 9.8 (NVD).
How do I remediate CVE-2021-31535?
A fix for CVE-2021-31535 is available: update to the fixed version the vendor names in its advisory. The vendor advisories EchelonGraph has for CVE-2021-31535 are linked in the Vendor Advisories panel on this page.

Dependency Blast Radius

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