CVE Intelligence
Medium Access control

CVE-2021-4037 — Kernel: security regression for cve-2018-13405

A vulnerability was found in the fs/inode.c:inode_init_owner() function logic of the LInux kernel that allows local users to create files for the XFS file-system with an unintended group ownership and with group execution and SGID permission bits set, in a scenario where a directory is SGID and belongs to a certain group and is writable by a user who is not a member of this group. This can lead to excessive permissions granted in case when they should not. This vulnerability is similar to the previous CVE-2018-13405 and adds the missed fix for the XFS.

Published Aug 24, 2022 · Updated Oct 14, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP, GitHub Security Advisories · CNA: redhat

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.
How the score was calculated
  • EPSS 0.3% (30-day exploitation probability)+3
  • Technical severity (medium)+3

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation
Not confirmed
Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.
EPSS FIRST
0.32%
ahead of 23% of scored CVEs · Oct 14, 2026
Affects
Debian
Debian Linux and 3 more
CVSS base
4.4
Medium · 4 source(s)
Prioritization reference: 7.8 provisional

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

  • Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
  • Documented patch — git.kernel.org (NIST National Vulnerability Database)

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Debian Debian Linux, Linux Linux Kernel, Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8…).
  2. Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
  3. Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (access control), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Debian Debian Linux version 10.0version 11.0 Vulnerable NIST National Vulnerability Database
Linux Linux Kernel < 5.11 Vulnerable NIST National Vulnerability Database
Linux Linux Kernel < 5.4.241≥ 5.5 and < 5.10.146 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 versions not specified by the source Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
Red Hat Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.4 Extended Update Support versions not specified by the source Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored by
7.8 CVSS 3.1 High 1.8 5.9 nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database
7.8 CVSS 3.1 High — — GitHub, Inc. via GitHub Security Advisories
4.4 CVSS 3.1 Medium 1.8 2.5 secalert@redhat.com via NIST National Vulnerability Database
4.4 CVSS 3.1 Medium — — redhat via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N (score shown at the top: secalert@redhat.com)
Scoring entities (NIST, CNA, ADP) score independently; each score is shown with its origin. For prioritization we use 7.8 (NVD (NIST)) as a conservative provisional reference — not a definitive official score.

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-284 · Improper Access Control

Other CVEs with this weakness →

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 0.32%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

  • Local/physical vector: focus on endpoint telemetry (EDR) from affected hosts.
  • Audit administrative actions and access to resources outside each user’s normal pattern.
endpoint telemetry (EDR)authentication logsapplication logs

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • Affected products added · linux/kernel, red hat/red hat enterprise linux 8, red hat/red hat enterprise linux 8.4 extended update support
    Oct 14, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Record published
    Oct 14, 2026
  • Fix documented
    Oct 14, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Affected products added · linux/linux kernel, debian/debian linux
    Oct 14, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • CVSS changed · 4.4
    Oct 14, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · → Modified
    Oct 14, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 14, 2026 · Alertas do Telegram
  • 2022
  • CVE published
    Aug 24, 2022 · redhat

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 2× References added · Oct 14, 2026 – Oct 14, 2026
  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 14, 2026 – Oct 14, 2026

References

15 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Debian
every CVE for this vendor
Access control
same class
CWE-284
other pages naming this weakness

Related CVEs (same products)

  • CVE-2026-110924 Openssh: openssh: gssapi delegated credentials can be stored after a failed authentication 5h
  • CVE-2026-110927 Openssh: openssh: a compressed payload can expand past the maximum packet size 5h
  • CVE-2026-110923 Openssh: openssh: sftp can write outside the destination directory from a server-supplied path 13h
  • CVE-2026-110925 Openssh: openssh: '$' and '\' in a command-line username expand through %u 13h
  • CVE-2026-110926 Openssh: openssh: shared lz77 compression dictionary leaks plaintext across channels 13h
  • CVE-2026-86848 Dpdk: dpdk: time-of-check/time-of-use vulnerability allowing guest-triggered out-of-bounds write in vhost-crypto 1d

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

  • No CISA SSVC assessment.
  • No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
  • No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
  • No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2021-4037 is "Kernel: security regression for cve-2018-13405", rated Medium. It affects Debian Linux (Debian); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 4.4 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.32% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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