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GeodeApplication · Apache

CVE-2021-34797

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-01-04
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.13.4 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
Apache Geode versions up to 1.12.4 and 1.13.4 are vulnerable to a log file redaction of sensitive information flaw when using values that begin with characters other than letters or numbers for passwords and security properties with the prefix "sysprop-", "javax.net.ssl", or "security-". This issue is fixed by overhauling the log file redaction in Apache Geode versions 1.12.5, 1.13.5, and 1.14.0.

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

Apache Geode versions up to 1.12.4 and 1.13.4 fail to properly redact sensitive information in log files. When passwords or security properties use prefixes like 'sysprop-', 'javax.net.ssl', or 'security-' and have values beginning with non-alphanumeric characters, the redaction mechanism fails to mask these credentials, exposing them in plaintext logs.

MitigationUpgrade Apache Geode to version 1.12.5, 1.13.5, or 14.0 where the log file redaction has been overhauled. Additionally, audit existing log files for any exposed credentials and rotate any compromised secrets.

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
GeodeApplication
Affected:<= 1.12.4>= 1.13.0, <= 1.13.4

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

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

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. Determine installed Apache Geode version
    Run 'gfsh version' from the Geode installation directory, or check the geode-core JAR version in the lib folder, or look for a VERSION file in the Geode installation directory
    Affected if The installed version is 1.12.4 or earlier, or between 1.13.0 and 1.13.4 inclusive
  2. Identify configurations using vulnerable property prefixes
    Search configuration files (geode.properties, gemfire.properties) for properties starting with 'sysprop-', 'javax.net.ssl', or 'security-'
    Affected if Any such properties exist in the Geode configuration
  3. Check if vulnerable property values start with non-alphanumeric characters
    For each identified property prefix, examine the property values. Look for values beginning with special characters such as !, @, #, $, %, ^, &, *, (, ), -, +, =, [, ], {, }, |, :, ;, <, >, ,, ., ?, /, or \
    Affected if Any property value using the prefixes sysprop-, javax.net.ssl, or security- begins with a non-alphanumeric character (symbol or punctuation)
  4. Search log files for exposed credentials
    Search log files in the Geode log directory (by default under the 'logs' folder) for plaintext values of the affected properties identified in step 2 and step 3. Use grep or similar to search for these specific property values in *.log files
    Affected if Any of the sensitive property values with non-alphanumeric prefixes appear in plaintext in log files

A user is affected if they run Apache Geode version 1.12.4 or earlier, or 1.13.0 to 1.13.4, and have configured any properties with the prefixes sysprop-, javax.net.ssl, or security- whose values start with non-alphanumeric characters, as these credentials may have been logged in plaintext.

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 a release after 1.13.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Apache Geode to version 1.12.5, 1.13.5, or 14.0 where the log file redaction has been overhauled. Additionally, audit existing log files for any exposed credentials and rotate any compromised secrets.

Recommended fix High confidence

1.12.5, 1.13.5, or 1.14.0 (choose based on your current branch)

  1. Upgrade Apache Geode to version 1.12.5 if currently on the 1.12.x branch
  2. Upgrade Apache Geode to version 1.13.5 if currently on the 1.13.x branch
  3. Upgrade Apache Geode to version 1.14.0 for the latest stable release
  4. After upgrade, verify that passwords and security properties (with prefixes 'sysprop-', 'javax.net.ssl', or 'security-') are properly redacted in log files regardless of the starting character of the value

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

Fix this in Geode Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,680
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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-2021-34797 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