CVE-2021-33881: On NXP MIFARE Ultralight and NTAG cards, an attacker can interrupt a write operation (aka conduct a "tear off"
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Routine
MEDIUM 4.2MITIGATEMITIGATEMITIGATE
CVE-2021-33881 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 4.2) affecting mifare ultralight ev1 firmware, mifare ultralight c firmware, mifare ultralight nano firmware. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.
On NXP MIFARE Ultralight and NTAG cards, an attacker can interrupt a write operation (aka conduct a "tear off" attack) over RFID to bypass a Monotonic Counter protection mechanism. The impact depends on how the anti tear-off feature is used in specific applications such as public transportation, physical access control, etc.
Why this priority
Public exploit reference
No fix is published yet: follow the downgrade or mitigation steps.
Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score
Am I affected?
Timeline
Published CVE record published
Updated Record last modified
nxp mifare ultralight ev1 firmware MITIGATE
Affected: all versions
Fixed in: no fixed release known
Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release
Check your OS release
cat /etc/os-release; uname -r
Debian / Ubuntu
sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade
RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora
sudo dnf upgrade --refresh
Windows
Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update
If no patch exists yet
OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.
nxp mifare ultralight c firmware MITIGATE
Affected: all versions
Fixed in: no fixed release known
Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release
Check your OS release
cat /etc/os-release; uname -r
Debian / Ubuntu
sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade
RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora
sudo dnf upgrade --refresh
Windows
Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update
If no patch exists yet
OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.
nxp mifare ultralight nano firmware MITIGATE
Affected: all versions
Fixed in: no fixed release known
Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release
Check your OS release
cat /etc/os-release; uname -r
Debian / Ubuntu
sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade
RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora
sudo dnf upgrade --refresh
Windows
Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update
If no patch exists yet
OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.
nxp ntag 210 firmware MITIGATE
Affected: all versions
Fixed in: no fixed release known
Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release
Check your OS release
cat /etc/os-release; uname -r
Debian / Ubuntu
sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade
RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora
sudo dnf upgrade --refresh
Windows
Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update
If no patch exists yet
OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.
nxp ntag 212 firmware MITIGATE
Affected: all versions
Fixed in: no fixed release known
Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release
Check your OS release
cat /etc/os-release; uname -r
Debian / Ubuntu
sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade
RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora
sudo dnf upgrade --refresh
Windows
Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update
If no patch exists yet
OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.
nxp ntag 213 firmware MITIGATE
Affected: all versions
Fixed in: no fixed release known
Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release
Check your OS release
cat /etc/os-release; uname -r
Debian / Ubuntu
sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade
RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora
sudo dnf upgrade --refresh
Windows
Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update
If no patch exists yet
OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.
Verify at the official sourceNVD · 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-2021-33881?
mifare ultralight ev1 firmware: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation; mifare ultralight c firmware: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation; mifare ultralight nano firmware: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.
Is CVE-2021-33881 being exploited?
CVE-2021-33881 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-2021-33881 affect?
CVE-2021-33881 affects mifare ultralight ev1 firmware, mifare ultralight c firmware, mifare ultralight nano firmware. Severity is medium (CVSS 4.2). On NXP MIFARE Ultralight and NTAG cards, an attacker can interrupt a write operation (aka conduct a "tear off" attack) over RFID to bypass a Monotonic Counter protection mechanism. The impact depends on how the anti tear-off feature is used
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