RabbitmqApplication · VMware
CVE-2021-22116
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedRabbitMQ all versions prior to 3.8.16 are prone to a denial of service vulnerability due to improper input validation in AMQP 1.0 client connection endpoint. A malicious user can exploit the vulnerability by sending malicious AMQP messages to the target RabbitMQ instance having the AMQP 1.0 plugin enabled.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceRabbitMQ versions prior to 3.8.16 contain improper input validation in the AMQP 1.0 client connection endpoint. When the AMQP 1.0 plugin is enabled, a remote attacker can send specially crafted AMQP messages that cause a denial of service condition, potentially crashing the RabbitMQ node.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
RabbitmqApplication
< 3.8.16
Debian LinuxOperating system
= 9.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed RabbitMQ versionRun 'rabbitmqctl status' or 'rabbitmqctl version' to retrieve the installed version, or check the package manager (dpkg -l rabbitmq-server or rpm -qi rabbitmq-server)Affected if The version number is less than 3.8.16 (e.g., 3.8.15, 3.8.14, etc.)
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Check if AMQP 1.0 plugin is enabledRun 'rabbitmq-plugins list' and look for the rabbitmq_amqp1_0 plugin; it will be marked with an asterisk (*) or 'E' if enabledAffected if The rabbitmq_amqp1_0 plugin shows as enabled in the plugins list
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Verify AMQP 1.0 listener configurationCheck RabbitMQ configuration files (rabbitmq.conf or enabled_plugins) or run 'rabbitmqctl listListeners' to see if port 5672 or an AMQP 1.0 listener is configuredAffected if An AMQP 1.0 listener is actively configured and accepting connections
If RabbitMQ version is prior to 3.8.16 AND the AMQP 1.0 plugin is enabled and listening, the environment is vulnerable to CVE-2021-22116.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor data3.8.16
Upgrade RabbitMQ to version 3.8.16 or later. If immediate upgrade is not possible, disable the AMQP 1.0 plugin until the patch can be applied.
Fix this in Rabbitmq
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation3.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-22116 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-22116 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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