CVE-2021-41859 - Why This Unused CVE Was Rejected

When you research cybersecurity vulnerabilities, you often come across many CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) with all sorts of severity scores and sometimes controversial details. However, not every CVE actually represents a real, exploitable vulnerability. In this post, we’ll do a deep dive into CVE-2021-41859, walk through the rejected reasons, and unravel what actually happened with this so-called vulnerability. We’ll also go through a little background about how CVEs get assigned — and why some get scrapped later.

What Is CVE-2021-41859?

First, let's break down what this CVE entry is about. As listed in the common sources like NVD and MITRE, this record doesn't actually describe a vulnerability. Instead, it’s marked with the following simple statement:
> REJECT: This candidate is unused.

So, what does that mean exactly? Why would there be a CVE ID out there that isn't actually used?

Why Are Some CVEs Rejected?

CVE IDs are often reserved early in the vulnerability reporting process. Sometimes, further review proves there is no actual security risk, or that a duplicate CVE has already been assigned. This is when maintainers mark them as “REJECTED”.

Here’s what MITRE says about REJECT entries:

> "A 'REJECT' status indicates that the entry is not a valid CVE candidate, either because it is not a security issue, is a duplicate, or was assigned in error."

Code Example: What an Unused CVE Listing Looks Like

Suppose you’re scanning for vulnerabilities in a project, and your tool flags CVE-2021-41859. Here’s what such a non-vulnerable finding might look like in Python:

# Pseudo security scanning result
cve_list = [
    {'id': 'CVE-2021-41859', 'status': 'REJECT', 'desc': 'This candidate is unused.'}
]

for cve in cve_list:
    if cve['status'] == 'REJECT':
        print(f"{cve['id']} is not a real vulnerability. No action needed.")

Output

CVE-2021-41859 is not a real vulnerability. No action needed.

Did This Ever Have Exploit Details?

No—CVE-2021-41859 was never assigned to an actual, exploitable vulnerability. There's no proof-of-concept code, no exploit database entry, and no advisories. Essentially, the ID was reserved as part of the CVE process, but either the report was mistaken or was eventually merged into another entry.

Lessons Learned: Don’t Panic Over Every CVE ID

If you’re responsible for security or vulnerability management, it’s important to always verify the status of every CVE. Not all CVEs imply risk. Automated tools can occasionally flag “REJECT” CVEs or those that have been deprecated for other reasons.

Original References

- MITRE CVE Entry for CVE-2021-41859
- NVD Entry for CVE-2021-41859
- CVE Editorial Policies: REJECTS

Final Thoughts

CVE-2021-41859 serves as a great example of how not all CVEs lead to actual security threats. Make sure to keep your vulnerability management practices up-to-date, and remember—always check the official state of any CVE before taking action.

If your scanner flags this one, relax—there's nothing to patch or fix here!

Timeline

Published on: 02/23/2024 21:15:10 UTC
Last modified on: 02/26/2025 06:32:57 UTC