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CVE-2021-32040

Large aggregation pipelines with a specific stage can crash mongod under default configuration

6.5 MediumFix available

It may be possible to have an extremely long aggregation pipeline in conjunction with a specific stage/operator and cause a stack overflow due to the size of the stack frames used by that stage. If an attacker could cause such an aggregation to occur, they could maliciously crash MongoDB in a DoS attack. This vulnerability affects MongoDB Server v4.4 versions prior to and including 4.4.28, MongoDB Server v5.0 versions prior to 5.0.4 and MongoDB Server v4.2 versions prior to 4.2.16.

Workaround: >= v4.2.16 users and all v4.4 users can add the --setParameter internalPipelineLengthLimit=50 instead of the default 1000 to mongod at startup to prevent a crash.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges needed
Low
User interaction
None

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

Exploit likelihood

2.01%Up 1.1 points since Apr 13, 2022
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

CVE List Score used 6.5

Large aggregation pipelines with a specific stage can crash mongod under default configuration

It may be possible to have an extremely long aggregation pipeline in conjunction with a specific stage/operator and cause a stack overflow due to the size of the stack frames used by that stage. If an attacker could cause such an aggregation to occur, they could maliciously crash MongoDB in a DoS attack. This vulnerability affects MongoDB Server v4.4 versions prior to and including 4.4.28, MongoDB Server v5.0 versions prior to 5.0.4 and MongoDB Server v4.2 versions prior to 4.2.16.

Workaround: >= v4.2.16 users and all v4.4 users can add the --setParameter internalPipelineLengthLimit=50 instead of the default 1000 to mongod at startup to prevent a crash.

Record
CVE-2021-32040
CVSS 3.1
6.5 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-121
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2021-18906 6.5

It may be possible to have an extremely long aggregation pipeline in conjunction with a specific stage/operator and cause a stack overflow due to the size of the stack frames used by that stage. If an attacker could cause such an aggregation to occur, they could maliciously crash MongoDB in a DoS attack. This vulnerability affects MongoDB Server v4.4 versions prior to and including 4.4.28, MongoDB Server v5.0 versions prior to 5.0.4 and MongoDB Server v4.2 versions prior to 4.2.16.

Workaround: >= v4.2.16 users and all v4.4 users can add the --setParameter internalPipelineLengthLimit=50 instead of the default 1000 to mongod at startup to prevent a crash.

Record
EUVD-2021-18906
CVSS 3.1
6.5 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-hmq6-2xj3-79w5 7.5

It may be possible to have an extremely long aggregation pipeline in conjunction with a specific...

It may be possible to have an extremely long aggregation pipeline in conjunction with a specific stage/operator and cause a stack overflow due to the size of the stack frames used by that stage. If an attacker could cause such an aggregation to occur, they could maliciously crash MongoDB in a DoS attack. This vulnerability affects MongoDB versions prior to 5.0.4, 4.4.11, 4.2.16.

Record
GHSA-hmq6-2xj3-79w5
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness
CWE-121, CWE-787
Updated
2026-11-02
NVD 6.5

It may be possible to have an extremely long aggregation pipeline in conjunction with a specific stage/operator and cause a stack overflow due to the size of the stack frames used by that stage. If an attacker could cause such an aggregation to occur, they could maliciously crash MongoDB in a DoS attack. This vulnerability affects MongoDB Server v4.4 versions prior to and including 4.4.28, MongoDB Server v5.0 versions prior to 5.0.4 and MongoDB Server v4.2 versions prior to 4.2.16.

Workaround: >= v4.2.16 users and all v4.4 users can add the --setParameter internalPipelineLengthLimit=50 instead of the default 1000 to mongod at startup to prevent a crash.

Record
CVE-2021-32040
CVSS 3.1
6.5 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CVSS 2.0
5.0 MediumAV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P
Weakness
CWE-121, CWE-787
Updated
2026-11-02
OSV 7.5

It may be possible to have an extremely long aggregation pipeline in conjunction with a specific stage/operator and cause a stack overflow due to the size of the stack frames used by that stage. If an attacker could cause such an aggregation to occur, they could maliciously crash MongoDB in a DoS attack. This vulnerability affects MongoDB Server v4.4 versions prior to and including 4.4.28, MongoDB Server v5.0 versions prior to 5.0.4 and MongoDB Server v4.2 versions prior to 4.2.16.

Workaround: >= v4.2.16 users and all v4.4 users can add the --setParameter internalPipelineLengthLimit=50 instead of the default 1000 to mongod at startup to prevent a crash.

Record
CVE-2021-32040
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2021-32040 6.5

It may be possible to have an extremely long aggregation pipeline in conjunction with a specific stage/operator and cause a stack overflow due to the size of the stack frames used by that stage. If an attacker could cause such an aggregation to occur, they could maliciously crash MongoDB in a DoS attack. This vulnerability affects MongoDB Server v4.4 versions prior to and including 4.4.28, MongoDB Server v5.0 versions prior to 5.0.4 and MongoDB Server v4.2 versions prior to 4.2.16. Workaround: >= v4.2.16 users and all v4.4 users can add the --setParameter internalPipelineLengthLimit=50 instead of the default 1000 to mongod at startup to prevent a crash.

Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2021-32040
CVSS 3.1
6.5 MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
CVSS 3.1
7.5 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVBIT-mongodb-2021-32040 No score

Large aggregation pipelines with a specific stage can crash mongod under default configuration

It may be possible to have an extremely long aggregation pipeline in conjunction with a specific stage/operator and cause a stack overflow due to the size of the stack frames used by that stage. If an attacker could cause such an aggregation to occur, they could maliciously crash MongoDB in a DoS attack. This vulnerability affects MongoDB Server v4.4 versions prior to and including 4.4.28, MongoDB Server v5.0 versions prior to 5.0.4 and MongoDB Server v4.2 versions prior to 4.2.16.

Workaround: >= v4.2.16 users and all v4.4 users can add the --setParameter internalPipelineLengthLimit=50 instead of the default 1000 to mongod at startup to prevent a crash.

Record
BIT-mongodb-2021-32040
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
mongodb
Bitnami
 4.2.0 up to 4.2.16, 4.4.0 up to 4.4.11, 5.0.0 up to 5.0.4
4.2.164.4.115.0.4
mongodb
Ubuntu:Pro:14.04:LTS
 All versions, plus listed versions
1:2.4.6-0ubuntu51:2.4.6-0ubuntu61:2.4.8-1ubuntu11:2.4.8-21:2.4.9-11:2.4.9-1ubuntu11:2.4.9-1ubuntu21:2.4.9-1ubuntu2+esm2
 None known
mongodb
Ubuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS
 All versions, plus listed versions
1:2.6.10-0ubuntu11:2.6.10-0ubuntu1+esm2
 None known
mongodb
Ubuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS
 All versions, plus listed versions
1:3.4.7-11:3.4.7-1ubuntu11:3.4.7-1ubuntu21:3.4.7-1ubuntu41:3.4.14-3ubuntu1
Show 7 moreShow less
1:3.4.14-3ubuntu21:3.6.3-0ubuntu11:3.6.3-0ubuntu1.11:3.6.3-0ubuntu1.31:3.6.3-0ubuntu1.41:3.6.3-0ubuntu1.4+esm11:3.6.3-0ubuntu1.4+esm2
 None known
mongodb
Ubuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS
 All versions, plus listed versions
1:3.6.9+really3.6.8+90~g8e540c0b6d-0ubuntu21:3.6.9+really3.6.8+90~g8e540c0b6d-0ubuntu51:3.6.9+really3.6.8+90~g8e540c0b6d-0ubuntu5.21:3.6.9+really3.6.8+90~g8e540c0b6d-0ubuntu5.31:3.6.9+really3.6.8+90~g8e540c0b6d-0ubuntu5.3+esm1
 None known

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
aliases, products, publishedEUVD
first indexedCVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV

Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.

In short

CVE-2021-32040 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 6.5) in Mongodb, published April 12, 2022. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 2.01%, the 81st percentile. Fixed in mongodb 4.2.16.

References

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