CVE-2021-33844: A floating point exception (divide-by-zero) issue was discovered in SoX in functon startread() of wav.c file

Routine

MEDIUM 5.5DOWNGRADE

CVE-2021-33844 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 5.5) affecting sound exchange. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

A floating point exception (divide-by-zero) issue was discovered in SoX in functon startread() of wav.c file. An attacker with a crafted wav file, could cause an application to crash.

Why this priority

Public exploit reference

No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.

Risk facts

CVSS score	5.5 (Medium)
Attack vector	Local
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	None
User interaction	Required
EPSS exploit chance	0.5% (top 59%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-369
Published	2022-08-25
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): Red Hat, Inc. · Vendor: sound exchange project

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2022-08-25 20:15 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 03:55 UTCUpdated Record last modified

sound exchange project sound exchange DOWNGRADE

Affected: 14.4.2-7

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 14.4.2-7

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy sound-exchange || rpm -q sound-exchange || sound-exchange --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 14.4.2-7 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison sound-exchange sudo apt install sound-exchange=<VERSION_BEFORE_14.4.2-7> sudo apt-mark hold sound-exchange

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

dnf --showduplicates list sound-exchange sudo dnf downgrade sound-exchange-<VERSION_BEFORE_14.4.2-7> sudo dnf versionlock add sound-exchange

Downgrade risk

Downgrading can break dependent software and may reopen older bugs. Read the distro advisory first and test on a non-production host.

After downgrade

Restart the service, and keep the package held until a fixed release ships.

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2021-33844?

sound exchange: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2021-33844 being exploited?

CVE-2021-33844 is not on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list at the time of the last update. Check again, as this can change.

What does CVE-2021-33844 affect?

CVE-2021-33844 affects sound exchange. Severity is medium (CVSS 5.5). A floating point exception (divide-by-zero) issue was discovered in SoX in functon startread() of wav.c file. An attacker with a crafted wav file, could cause an application to crash.

How urgent is CVE-2021-33844?

Priority 35/100. Public exploit reference

Related CVEs

CVE-2023-34432 HIGH 7.8 UPGRADE DOWNGRADE A heap buffer overflow vulnerability was found in sox, in the lsx_readbuf function at sox/src/formats_i.c:98:1
CVE-2023-34318 HIGH 7.8 DOWNGRADE DOWNGRADE A heap buffer overflow vulnerability was found in sox, in the startread function at sox/src/hcom.c:160:41
CVE-2023-32627 MEDIUM 6.2 DOWNGRADE DOWNGRADE A floating point exception vulnerability was found in sox, in the read_samples function at sox/src/voc.c:334:1
CVE-2023-26590 MEDIUM 6.2 DOWNGRADE DOWNGRADE A floating point exception vulnerability was found in sox, in the lsx_aiffstartwrite function at sox/src/aiff.
CVE-2022-31651 MEDIUM 5.5 DOWNGRADE In SoX 14.4.2, there is an assertion failure in rate_init in rate.c in libsox.a.

References

← Back to latest CVEs