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RedisDatabase / datastore · Redislabs

CVE-2021-29478

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-05-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.2.3 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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 · unedited
Redis is an open source (BSD licensed), in-memory data structure store, used as a database, cache, and message broker. An integer overflow bug in Redis 6.2 before 6.2.3 could be exploited to corrupt the heap and potentially result with remote code execution. Redis 6.0 and earlier are not directly affected by this issue. The problem is fixed in version 6.2.3. An additional workaround to mitigate the problem without patching the `redis-server` executable is to prevent users from modifying the `set-max-intset-entries` configuration parameter. This can be done using ACL to restrict unprivileged users from using the `CONFIG SET` command.

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 confidence

An integer overflow bug in Redis 6.2 before version 6.2.3 allows heap corruption and potential remote code execution when the `set-max-intset-entries` configuration parameter is manipulated by an attacker.

MitigationUpgrade to Redis 6.2.3 or later; alternatively, use Redis ACLs to prevent unprivileged users from executing the CONFIG SET command to block modification of the `set-max-intset-entries` setting.

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
RedisDatabase / datastore
Affected:>= 6.2.0, < 6.2.3
FedoraOperating system
Affected:= 33= 34

CVSS 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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Redis version
    Run `redis-server --version` or `redis-cli INFO server` to get the exact version number
    Affected if Version is 6.2.0, 6.2.1, or 6.2.2 (any version >= 6.2.0 and < 6.2.3)
  2. Check if CONFIG command is accessible
    Review ACL definitions (if ACLs are enabled) or verify that the instance runs without authentication. Run `redis-cli CONFIG GET *` to confirm CONFIG commands work, or check ACL user permissions for 'config' command grant
    Affected if CONFIG SET command is available to the connecting user (no ACLs, or ACL allows CONFIG command)
  3. Verify set-max-intset-entries is modifiable
    Run `redis-cli CONFIG GET set-max-intset-entries` to see the current value. If CONFIG SET is available, this parameter can be changed
    Affected if The attacker can execute CONFIG SET to modify set-max-intset-entries (the vulnerability is triggered by setting this value)

You are affected if Redis version is 6.2.0 through 6.2.2 AND an attacker can execute the CONFIG SET command to manipulate the set-max-intset-entries parameter.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.2.3 or later
Fixed in 6.2.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Redis 6.2.3 or later; alternatively, use Redis ACLs to prevent unprivileged users from executing the CONFIG SET command to block modification of the `set-max-intset-entries` setting.

Recommended fix High confidence

Redis 6.2.3

  1. 1. Plan an upgrade to Redis version 6.2.3 or later in your environment
  2. 2. Test the upgrade in a staging environment before deploying to production
  3. 3. Stop the Redis service before performing the upgrade
  4. 4. Upgrade Redis packages using your package manager (e.g., `dnf update redis` for Fedora, or compile from source at redis.io)
  5. 5. Verify the installed Redis version is 6.2.3 or higher using `redis-server --version`
  6. 6. Restart the Redis service
  7. 7. Alternatively (if upgrade is not immediately possible), configure Redis ACL to prevent unprivileged users from using CONFIG SET by adding a rule like `reset-permissions` and restricting the CONFIG command
Caveat Minor release upgrade; unlikely to have breaking changes, but test in staging first

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Redis Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2021-29478 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data