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Connext ProfessionalApplication · Rti

CVE-2021-38433

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-05-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.1.0 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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
RTI Connext DDS Professional and Connext DDS Secure Versions 4.2x to 6.1.0 vulnerable to a stack-based buffer overflow, which may allow a local attacker to execute arbitrary code.

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 confidence

RTI Connext DDS middleware versions 4.2x through 6.1.0 contain a stack-based buffer overflow vulnerability. This memory corruption flaw allows a local attacker to overflow a stack-allocated buffer and potentially achieve arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the running process.

MitigationUpgrade to RTI Connext DDS version 6.1.1 or later per vendor advisory. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict local access to systems running the vulnerable software and monitor for unusual process behavior.

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
Connext ProfessionalApplication
Affected:>= 4.2, < 6.1.0
Connext SecureApplication
Affected:>= 4.2, < 6.1.0

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/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 RTI Connext installation directory
    Search for RTI Connext installation folders such as 'C:\Program Files\RTI' on Windows or '/opt/rti' on Linux. Look for directories named 'rti_connext_dds' or similar.
    Affected if RTI Connext software is installed on the system
  2. Check installed RTI Connext version
    Locate the main executable or library file (commonly nddscore.dll on Windows or libnddscore.so on Linux, or rtiddsspy.exe) and view its version property. Alternatively, check for a version.txt or RELEASE.txt file in the installation directory.
    Affected if The installed version falls within >= 4.2 and < 6.1.0
  3. Verify Connext Professional vs Secure variant
    Inspect the installation folder name or check for 'secure' related binaries/libraries (such as rtisec.exe, rtiddssecbus.dll). Both Professional and Secure variants from 4.2 to before 6.1.0 are affected.
    Affected if Either the Professional or Secure variant is present with a vulnerable version number
  4. Confirm running RTI Connext processes
    Use task manager (Windows) or ps/top command (Linux) to list running processes. Look for rtiddsspy, rtimonitorservice, rtishapesdemo, or custom applications built on the RTI Connext framework.
    Affected if Any RTI Connext-based process is currently executing on the system

The system is affected if RTI Connext Professional or Secure version 4.2 or higher but lower than 6.1.0 is installed and running.

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 6.1.0 or later
Fixed in 6.1.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to RTI Connext DDS version 6.1.1 or later per vendor advisory. If immediate patching is not possible, restrict local access to systems running the vulnerable software and monitor for unusual process behavior.

Recommended fix High confidence

RTI Connext DDS 6.1.0 or later

  1. 1. Identify the current installed version of RTI Connext DDS Professional or Connext Secure by checking the installation directory or using the version detection mechanism provided by RTI
  2. 2. Review the RTI Connext DDS 6.1.0 release notes and migration guide for any compatibility considerations
  3. 3. Plan and schedule the upgrade during a maintenance window to minimize disruption
  4. 4. Back up all existing RTI Connext configurations, applications, and domain data
  5. 5. Download RTI Connext DDS Professional or Connext Secure version 6.1.0 or later from the RTI support portal (support.rti.com)
  6. 6. Install the new version following the RTI installation documentation
  7. 7. Validate that applications and DDS domains function correctly with the updated version
  8. 8. Monitor for any regression issues and verify the buffer overflow vulnerability is mitigated
Caveat Review RTI 6.1.0 release notes for potential breaking changes in API, configuration, or security features; some legacy settings or deprecated APIs from 4.2x may require updates

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

Fix this in Connext Professional Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,210
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,936.

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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-2021-38433 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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