CVE-2021-20234
An uncontrolled resource consumption (memory leak) flaw was found in the ZeroMQ client in...
An uncontrolled resource consumption (memory leak) flaw was found in the ZeroMQ client in versions before 4.3.3 in src/pipe.cpp. This issue causes a client that connects to multiple malicious or compromised servers to crash. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- Required
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
6.5
An uncontrolled resource consumption (memory leak) flaw was found in the ZeroMQ client in versions before 4.3.3 in src/pipe.cpp. This issue causes a client that connects to multiple malicious or compromised servers to crash. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.
- Record
CVE-2021-20234- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 4.3 Medium
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P - Weakness
- CWE-400, CWE-401
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
An uncontrolled resource consumption (memory leak) flaw was found in the ZeroMQ client in versions before 4.3.3 in src/pipe.cpp. This issue causes a client that connects to multiple malicious or compromised servers to crash. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.
- Record
CVE-2021-20234- Weakness
- CWE-400
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2021-7673 No score
An uncontrolled resource consumption (memory leak) flaw was found in the ZeroMQ client in versions before 4.3.3 in src/pipe.cpp. This issue causes a client that connects to multiple malicious or compromised servers to crash. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.
- Record
EUVD-2021-7673- Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-47vr-832f-crm9
6.5
An uncontrolled resource consumption (memory leak) flaw was found in the ZeroMQ client in...
An uncontrolled resource consumption (memory leak) flaw was found in the ZeroMQ client in versions before 4.3.3 in src/pipe.cpp. This issue causes a client that connects to multiple malicious or compromised servers to crash. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.
- Record
GHSA-47vr-832f-crm9- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Weakness
- CWE-400, CWE-401
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
6.5
An uncontrolled resource consumption (memory leak) flaw was found in the ZeroMQ client in versions before 4.3.3 in src/pipe.cpp. This issue causes a client that connects to multiple malicious or compromised servers to crash. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.
- Record
CVE-2021-20234- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2021-20234
6.5
An uncontrolled resource consumption (memory leak) flaw was found in the ZeroMQ client in versions before 4.3.3 in src/pipe.cpp. This issue causes a client that connects to multiple malicious or compromised servers to crash. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2021-20234- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVJLSEC-2026-514
6.5
An uncontrolled resource consumption (memory leak) flaw was found in the ZeroMQ client in versions before 4.3.3 in src/pipe.cpp. This issue causes a client that connects to multiple malicious or compromised servers to crash. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.
- Record
JLSEC-2026-514- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 4.3 Medium
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2021-20234
6.5
An uncontrolled resource consumption (memory leak) flaw was found in the ZeroMQ client in versions before 4.3.3 in src/pipe.cpp. This issue causes a client that connects to multiple malicious or compromised servers to crash. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2021-20234- CVSS 3.1
- 6.5 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUSN-4920-1 No score
zeromq3 vulnerabilities
It was discovered that ZeroMQ incorrectly handled certain application metadata. A remote attacker could use this issue to cause ZeroMQ to crash, or possibly execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2019-13132)
It was discovered that ZeroMQ mishandled certain network traffic. An unauthenticated attacker could use this vulnerability to cause a denial-of- service and prevent legitimate clients from communicating with ZeroMQ. (CVE-2020-15166)
It was discovered that ZeroMQ did not properly manage memory under certain circumstances. If a user or automated system were tricked into connecting to one or multiple compromised servers, a remote attacker could use this issue to cause a denial of service. (CVE-2021-20234)
It was discovered that ZeroMQ incorrectly handled memory when processing messages with arbitrarily large sizes under certain circumstances. A remote unauthenticated attacker could use this issue to cause a ZeroMQ server to crash, resulting in a denial of service, or possibly execute arbitrary code. This issue only affected Ubuntu 18.04 ESM and Ubuntu 20.04 ESM. (CVE-2021-20235)
It was discovered that ZeroMQ did not properly manage memory under certain circumstances. A remote unauthenticated attacker could use this issue to cause a ZeroMQ server to crash, resulting in a denial of service. This issue only affected Ubuntu 18.04 ESM and Ubuntu 20.04 ESM. (CVE-2021-20237)
- Record
USN-4920-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
zeromq3Debian:12 |
before 4.3.3-1 | 4.3.3-1 |
zeromq3Debian:13 |
before 4.3.3-1 | 4.3.3-1 |
zeromq3Debian:14 |
before 4.3.3-1 | 4.3.3-1 |
zeromq3Debian:9 From an advisory covering 2 CVEs |
before 4.2.1-4+deb9u4, plus listed versions 4.2.1-44.2.1-4+deb9u14.2.1-4+deb9u24.2.1-4+deb9u3 |
4.2.1-4+deb9u4 |
ZeroMQ_jllJulia |
before 4.3.4+0 | 4.3.4+0 |
zeromq3Ubuntu:Pro:14.04:LTS |
before 4.0.4+dfsg-2ubuntu0.1+esm3, plus listed versions 3.2.3+dfsg-23.2.4+dfsg-13.2.4+dfsg-23.2.4+dfsg-33.2.4+dfsg-4 Show 5 moreShow less4.0.3+dfsg-14.0.4+dfsg-24.0.4+dfsg-2ubuntu0.14.0.4+dfsg-2ubuntu0.1+esm14.0.4+dfsg-2ubuntu0.1+esm2 |
4.0.4+dfsg-2ubuntu0.1+esm3 |
zeromq3Ubuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS |
before 4.1.4-7ubuntu0.1+esm2, plus listed versions 4.0.5+dfsg-3ubuntu1~gcc5.14.0.5+dfsg-3ubuntu24.1.4-74.1.4-7ubuntu0.14.1.4-7ubuntu0.1+esm1 |
4.1.4-7ubuntu0.1+esm2 |
zeromq3Ubuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS |
before 4.2.5-1ubuntu0.2+esm2, plus listed versions 4.2.1-4ubuntu14.2.2-1ubuntu24.2.3-14.2.3-1build14.2.5-14.2.5-1ubuntu0.14.2.5-1ubuntu0.24.2.5-1ubuntu0.2+esm1 |
4.2.5-1ubuntu0.2+esm2 |
zeromq3Ubuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS |
before 4.3.2-2ubuntu1.20.04.1~esm2, plus listed versions 4.3.2-14.3.2-24.3.2-2ubuntu14.3.2-2ubuntu1.20.04.1~esm1 |
4.3.2-2ubuntu1.20.04.1~esm2 |
zeromq3Ubuntu:Pro:14.04:LTS From an advisory covering 5 CVEs |
before 4.0.4+dfsg-2ubuntu0.1+esm3, plus listed versions 3.2.3+dfsg-23.2.4+dfsg-13.2.4+dfsg-23.2.4+dfsg-33.2.4+dfsg-4 Show 5 moreShow less4.0.3+dfsg-14.0.4+dfsg-24.0.4+dfsg-2ubuntu0.14.0.4+dfsg-2ubuntu0.1+esm14.0.4+dfsg-2ubuntu0.1+esm2 |
4.0.4+dfsg-2ubuntu0.1+esm3 |
zeromq3Ubuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS From an advisory covering 5 CVEs |
before 4.1.4-7ubuntu0.1+esm2, plus listed versions 4.0.5+dfsg-3ubuntu1~gcc5.14.0.5+dfsg-3ubuntu24.1.4-74.1.4-7ubuntu0.14.1.4-7ubuntu0.1+esm1 |
4.1.4-7ubuntu0.1+esm2 |
zeromq3Ubuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS From an advisory covering 5 CVEs |
before 4.2.5-1ubuntu0.2+esm2, plus listed versions 4.2.1-4ubuntu14.2.2-1ubuntu24.2.3-14.2.3-1build14.2.5-14.2.5-1ubuntu0.14.2.5-1ubuntu0.24.2.5-1ubuntu0.2+esm1 |
4.2.5-1ubuntu0.2+esm2 |
zeromq3Ubuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS From an advisory covering 5 CVEs |
before 4.3.2-2ubuntu1.20.04.1~esm2, plus listed versions 4.3.2-14.3.2-24.3.2-2ubuntu14.3.2-2ubuntu1.20.04.1~esm1 |
4.3.2-2ubuntu1.20.04.1~esm2 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| affected, facts | ||
| aliases, products | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2021-20234 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 6.5) in Microsoft Zeromq, published March 9, 2021. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 1.07%, the 65th percentile. Fixed in zeromq3 4.3.3-1.
References
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1921972
github.com/zeromq/libzmq/security/advisories/GHSA-wfr2-29gj-5w87
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-20234
github.com/advisories/GHSA-47vr-832f-crm9
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2021-20234
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-20234
Show 9 moreShow less
github.com/zeromq/libzmq/pull/3918
bugs.chromium.org/p/oss-fuzz/issues/detail?id=22037
bugs.chromium.org/p/oss-fuzz/issues/detail?id=22123
ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-4920-1
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-20234
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2019-13132
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2020-15166
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-20235
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-20237