CVE-2021-44141: All versions of Samba prior to 4.15.5 are vulnerable to a malicious client using a server symlink to determine

Routine

MEDIUM 4.3WATCHLISTUPGRADEDOWNGRADEMITIGATE

CVE-2021-44141 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 4.3) affecting samba, storage, fedora. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

All versions of Samba prior to 4.15.5 are vulnerable to a malicious client using a server symlink to determine if a file or directory exists in an area of the server file system not exported under the share definition. SMB1 with unix extensions has to be enabled in order for this attack to succeed.

Why this priority

On your watchlist

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	4.3 (Medium)
Attack vector	Network (remote)
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	Low
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	1.1% (top 35%)
CISA exploited list	No
Weakness	CWE-200, CWE-59
Published	2022-02-21
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): Red Hat, Inc. · Vendor: fedoraproject · redhat · samba

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

Am I affected?

Timeline

2022-02-21 18:15 UTCPublished CVE record published
2026-06-17 04:11 UTCUpdated Record last modified

samba samba UPGRADE

Affected: < 4.15.5

Fixed in: 4.15.5

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy samba || rpm -q samba || samba --version

2. UPGRADE to 4.15.5 (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade samba

2. UPGRADE (RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora)

sudo dnf upgrade samba

Note

Distros often backport fixes without changing the version number. Confirm with the distro advisory or changelog.

redhat storage DOWNGRADE

Affected: 3.0

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 3.0

1. Check installed version

apt-cache policy storage || rpm -q storage || storage --version

2. No fixed release: DOWNGRADE to a release before 3.0 (Debian / Ubuntu)

apt-cache madison storage sudo apt install storage=<VERSION_BEFORE_3.0> sudo apt-mark hold storage

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

dnf --showduplicates list storage sudo dnf downgrade storage-<VERSION_BEFORE_3.0> sudo dnf versionlock add storage

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.

fedoraproject fedora MITIGATE

Affected: 34 · 35

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 34

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 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-2021-44141?

samba: upgrade to 4.15.5; storage: downgrade or apply the listed mitigation; fedora: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2021-44141 being exploited?

CVE-2021-44141 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-2021-44141 affect?

CVE-2021-44141 affects samba, storage, fedora. Severity is medium (CVSS 4.3). All versions of Samba prior to 4.15.5 are vulnerable to a malicious client using a server symlink to determine if a file or directory exists in an area of the server file system not exported under the share definition. SMB1 with unix extens

How urgent is CVE-2021-44141?

Priority 36/100. On your watchlist

Software pages

Samba vulnerabilities

Related CVEs

CVE-2026-1933 HIGH 7.1 DOWNGRADE UPGRADE A flaw was found in Samba’s handling of NTFS-style reparse points on shares configured with read only = yes
CVE-2026-4408 CRITICAL 9.0 DOWNGRADE UPGRADE A flaw was found in Samba
CVE-2026-3012 HIGH 8.0 DOWNGRADE UPGRADE A flaw was found in Samba’s certificate auto-enrollment Group Policy handling
CVE-2026-58224 MEDIUM 6.5 UPGRADE MITIGATE A flaw was found in Samba's CTDB, the clustered database service used by Samba
CVE-2026-2340 MEDIUM 6.5 DOWNGRADE DOWNGRADE A flaw was found in Samba’s vfs_worm module

References

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