Docker DesktopApplication · Docker
CVE-2021-45449
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 · uneditedDocker Desktop version 4.3.0 and 4.3.1 has a bug that may log sensitive information (access token or password) on the user's machine during login. This only affects users if they are on Docker Desktop 4.3.0, 4.3.1 and the user has logged in while on 4.3.0, 4.3.1. Gaining access to this data would require having access to the user’s local files.
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 confidenceDocker Desktop versions 4.3.0 and 4.3.1 contain a bug that logs sensitive credentials (access tokens or passwords) to local files during the login process. An attacker with access to the user's local filesystem could retrieve these exposed credentials.
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
Docker DesktopApplication
= 4.3.0= 4.3.1CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify Docker Desktop versionOpen Docker Desktop and navigate to 'About Docker Desktop' (or run 'docker version' in terminal), then locate the version number displayedAffected if The installed version is exactly 4.3.0 or 4.3.1
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Locate Docker Desktop log directoriesCheck common Docker Desktop log locations such as %LOCALAPPDATA%\Docker\log on Windows, ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker/Data/log on macOS, or ~/.docker/log on LinuxAffected if Log files exist in these directories and were created during login attempts in version 4.3.0 or 4.3.1
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Search log files for credential patternsUse grep or a text editor to search log files for patterns like 'token=', 'password=', 'access_token=', or base64-encoded strings that may appear in plaintextAffected if Any plaintext passwords, tokens, or credential strings are found in Docker Desktop log files
A user is affected if Docker Desktop version 4.3.0 or 4.3.1 was used for login, and log files on the local system may contain exposed credentials from those sessions.
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 · scopedUpgrade Docker Desktop to a version beyond 4.3.1 (as specified in Docker's security advisory). If previously affected, rotate any credentials that may have been exposed during the vulnerable login sessions.
Docker Desktop 4.3.2 or later
- Upgrade Docker Desktop to version 4.3.2 or later to resolve the sensitive information logging bug
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Docker Desktop
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 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 $1,744.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2021-45449 — 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-2021-45449 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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- 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