CVE-2021-44142: Canonical Ubuntu Linux

High severity, CVSS 8.8. EPSS: 73.6% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

The Samba vfs_fruit module uses extended file attributes (EA, xattr) to provide "...enhanced compatibility with Apple SMB clients and interoperability with a Netatalk 3 AFP fileserver." Samba versions prior to 4.13.17, 4.14.12 and 4.15.5 with vfs_fruit configured allow out-of-bounds heap read and write via specially crafted extended file attributes. A remote attacker with write access to extended file attributes can execute arbitrary code with the privileges of smbd, typically root.

Affected products

  • Canonical Ubuntu Linux: version 14.04 only; version 16.04 only; version 18.04 only; version 20.04 only; version 21.10 only
  • Debian Debian Linux: version 10.0 only; version 11.0 only
  • Fedoraproject Fedora: version 34 only; version 35 only
  • Red Hat Codeready Linux Builder: affected versions not specified
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux: version 7.0 only; version 8.0 only
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop: version 7.0 only
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Eus: version 8.2 only; version 8.4 only
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux For IBM Z Systems: version 7.0 only; version 8.0 only
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux For IBM Z Systems Eus: version 8.2 only; version 8.4 only
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux For Power Big Endian: version 7.0 only
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux For Power Little Endian: version 7.0 only; version 8.0 only
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux For Power Little Endian Eus: version 8.2 only; version 8.4 only
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux For Scientific Computing: version 7.0 only
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Resilient Storage: version 7.0 only
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server: version 7.0 only; version 8.1 only
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server Aus: version 8.2 only; version 8.4 only
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server Tus: version 8.2 only; version 8.4 only
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server Update Services For SAP Solutions: version 8.1 only; version 8.2 only; version 8.4 only
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux Workstation: version 7.0 only
  • Red Hat Gluster Storage: version 3.5 only
  • Red Hat Virtualization Host: version 4.0 only
  • Samba Samba: before 4.13.17 (fixed in 4.13.17); from 4.14.0, before 4.14.12 (fixed in 4.14.12); from 4.15.0, before 4.15.5 (fixed in 4.15.5)
  • Synology Diskstation Manager: from 6.2, before 6.2.4-25556.4 (fixed in 6.2.4-25556.4)

Published 2022-02-21. Last modified 2026-06-17.