Security vulnerabilities are tracked with CVE IDs, giving each issue a unique label. Some of these CVEs never make headlines, and some end up being rejected, meaning they don’t represent a real security threat after all. CVE-2021-44457 is one of these oddities. In this article, we’ll unravel what CVE-2021-44457 once aimed to cover, why it got rejected, what “unused” means in this context, and why rejected CVEs still matter to your workflow.

What Was CVE-2021-44457 Supposed to Fix?

For every CVE, there’s a story—sometimes dramatic, sometimes mundane. CVE-2021-44457 was reserved for a software bug that someone believed could cause a security problem. However, no official details, advisories, software vendor notifications, or exploit information were ever confirmed.

When we try to look up CVE-2021-44457 in databases like MITRE or NIST's NVD, the description says:

 REJECT  DO NOT USE THIS CANDIDATE NUMBER. ConsultIDs: none. Reason: This candidate was withdrawn by its CNA. Further investigation showed that this record is unused.

What Does “Unused” and Rejected Mean For a CVE?

Every year, thousands of CVE numbers are assigned to security researchers, vendors, or bug trackers for potential vulnerabilities. But sometimes, as the issue is investigated, it turns out there was:

Or, initial reserving was in error

When this happens, the CNA (CVE Numbering Authority) contacts MITRE and the CVE entry is marked as REJECTED, making it “unused” in the database. This serves a very important purpose: other security professionals, vendors, and tools know NOT to reference or worry about this CVE.

Snippet Example: How Does This Show Up in Your Workflow?

Imagine you run a pipeline that greps security CVE feeds for identifiers like CVE-2021-44457, and triggers patching or vulnerability management.

Here's a Python snippet to check if a CVE is rejected before acting on it

import requests

def cve_is_rejected(cve_id):
    url = f"https://cve.circl.lu/api/cve/{cve_id}";
    response = requests.get(url)
    if response.status_code == 200:
        data = response.json()
        if data.get('summary', '').startswith(' REJECT '):
            return True
    return False

cve_id = "CVE-2021-44457"
if cve_is_rejected(cve_id):
    print(f"{cve_id} is rejected and can be ignored.")
else:
    print(f"{cve_id} is active. Take action!")

Using logic like this filters out “noise” and lets your security team focus on real threats.

Exploit Details

There are none.
Since CVE-2021-44457 is unused and rejected, you won’t find proof-of-concept code, active exploits, or public advisories. There’s nothing to scan for or patch.

Why Bother With Rejected CVEs?

It might sound redundant, but keeping track of *why* a CVE like CVE-2021-44457 is rejected protects you from unnecessary work and anxiety. Sometimes scanners or automated feeds will still mention these CVE numbers, causing false positives in security audits. Knowing how to check if a CVE is rejected (and why!) is a key skill for any sysadmin or developer dealing with security updates.

References & Further Reading

- MITRE CVE-2021-44457 Entry
- NIST NVD - CVE-2021-44457
- CVE REJECT Policies
- CVE API: cve.circl.lu

TL;DR

CVE-2021-44457 is a placeholder for a software vulnerability that ultimately didn’t exist, wasn’t confirmed, or wasn’t a real risk. It’s now rejected and unused—which means you don’t need to take any action. But by watching out for REJECTED CVEs, you keep your security workflow clean and efficient.

Timeline

Published on: 02/23/2024 21:15:10 UTC
Last modified on: 09/04/2025 00:49:59 UTC