CVE-2021-38429
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 · uneditedOCI OpenDDS versions prior to 3.18.1 are vulnerable when an attacker sends a specially crafted packet to flood target devices with unwanted traffic, which may result in a denial-of-service condition and information exposure.
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 · moderate confidenceOCI OpenDDS versions prior to 3.18.1 contain a vulnerability where an attacker can send specially crafted packets to flood target devices with unwanted traffic, resulting in denial-of-service and potential information exposure. The critical CVSS 9.1 score indicates severe network-level impact.
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< 3.18.1CVSS 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
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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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Identify OpenDDS installationLocate OpenDDS libraries or binaries on the system. Common locations include /usr/lib, /usr/local/lib, or installation directories. Check for files named libdds*.so or executables related to OpenDDS.Affected if OpenDDS is found installed on the system
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Determine installed OpenDDS versionUse commands such as dpkg -l, rpm -qi, or check version information embedded in the OpenDDS binary/library files. If built from source, check the source directory or release notes.Affected if The detected version is lower than 3.18.1
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Check if OpenDDS services are runningList running processes using ps aux or check for OpenDDS-related services. Look for processes containing 'opendds', 'dds', or related naming patterns.Affected if OpenDDS processes are currently active
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Verify network exposureInspect network bindings using netstat, ss, or similar tools. Check if OpenDDS is bound to external network interfaces rather than localhost only, which would allow external attackers to send malicious packets.Affected if OpenDDS is listening on external network interfaces (non-loopback addresses)
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Check configuration for unauthenticated trafficReview OpenDDS configuration files (typically XML or INI format in the config directory) for security settings related to authentication and message validation.Affected if Authentication is disabled or message validation is not enforced in the configuration
The environment is affected if OpenDDS version is lower than 3.18.1 and the service is running and exposed to network traffic.
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.
dbcve · scoped3.18.1
Upgrade OpenDDS to version 3.18.1 or later to patch this vulnerability. Additionally, implement network-level filtering and rate limiting to mitigate traffic-based attacks.
3.18.1
- Identify the current OpenDDS version in use by checking the installed software or build configuration
- Download OpenDDS version 3.18.1 from the official source (opendds.org)
- Review the OpenDDS 3.18.1 release notes and migration guide for any required configuration or code changes
- Backup all existing OpenDDS configurations, scripts, and custom code
- Stop any running OpenDDS services or applications
- Install or build OpenDDS 3.18.1 according to the official installation documentation
- Migrate any custom configurations to be compatible with 3.18.1 if needed
- Restart OpenDDS services and verify normal operation
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-38429 — 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-2021-38429 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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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.
- 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