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CVE-2021-42343

Workers for local Dask clusters mistakenly listened on public interfaces

9.8 CriticalFix available

An issue was discovered in the Dask distributed package before 2021.10.0 for Python. Single machine Dask clusters started with dask.distributed.LocalCluster or dask.distributed.Client (which defaults to using LocalCluster) would mistakenly configure their respective Dask workers to listen on external interfaces (typically with a randomly selected high port) rather than only on localhost. A Dask cluster created using this method (when running on a machine that has an applicable port exposed) could be used by a sophisticated attacker to achieve remote code execution.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges needed
None
User interaction
None

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Exploit likelihood

2.98%Up 2.1 points since Oct 27, 2021
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

NVD Score used 9.8

An issue was discovered in the Dask distributed package before 2021.10.0 for Python. Single machine Dask clusters started with dask.distributed.LocalCluster or dask.distributed.Client (which defaults to using LocalCluster) would mistakenly configure their respective Dask workers to listen on external interfaces (typically with a randomly selected high port) rather than only on localhost. A Dask cluster created using this method (when running on a machine that has an applicable port exposed) could be used by a sophisticated attacker to achieve remote code execution.

Record
CVE-2021-42343
CVSS 3.1
9.8 CriticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS 2.0
6.8 MediumAV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
Updated
2026-11-02
CVE List No score

An issue was discovered in the Dask distributed package before 2021.10.0 for Python. Single machine Dask clusters started with dask.distributed.LocalCluster or dask.distributed.Client (which defaults to using LocalCluster) would mistakenly configure their respective Dask workers to listen on external interfaces (typically with a randomly selected high port) rather than only on localhost. A Dask cluster created using this method (when running on a machine that has an applicable port exposed) could be used by a sophisticated attacker to achieve remote code execution.

Record
CVE-2021-42343
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2021-0050 No score

An issue was discovered in the Dask distributed package before 2021.10.0 for Python. Single machine Dask clusters started with dask.distributed.LocalCluster or dask.distributed.Client (which defaults to using LocalCluster) would mistakenly configure their respective Dask workers to listen on external interfaces (typically with a randomly selected high port) rather than only on localhost. A Dask cluster created using this method (when running on a machine that has an applicable port exposed) could be used by a sophisticated attacker to achieve remote code execution.

Record
EUVD-2021-0050
Updated
2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-hwqr-f3v9-hwxr 9.3

Workers for local Dask clusters mistakenly listened on public interfaces

Versions of distributed earlier than 2021.10.0 had a potential security vulnerability relating to single-machine Dask clusters.

Clusters started with dask.distributed.LocalCluster or dask.distributed.Client() (which defaults to using LocalCluster) would mistakenly configure their respective Dask workers to listen on external interfaces (typically with a randomly selected high port) rather than only on localhost. A Dask cluster created using this method AND running on a machine that has these ports exposed could be used by a sophisticated attacker to enable remote code execution. Users running on machines with standard firewalls in place, or using clusters created via cluster objects other than LocalCluster (e.g. dask_kubernetes.KubeCluster) should not be affected. This vulnerability is documented in CVE-2021-42343, and was fixed in version 2021.10.0 (PR #5427).

Record
GHSA-hwqr-f3v9-hwxr
CVSS 4.0
9.3 CriticalCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
CVSS 3.1
9.8 CriticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Weakness
CWE-668
Updated
2026-11-02
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-j8fq-86c5-5v2r 9.3

Duplicate Advisory: Remote code execution in dask

Duplicate Advisory

This advisory has been withdrawn because it is a duplicate of GHSA-hwqr-f3v9-hwxr. This link is maintained to preserve external references.

Original Description

An issue was discovered in Dask (aka python-dask) through 2021.09.1. Single machine Dask clusters started with dask.distributed.LocalCluster or dask.distributed.Client (which defaults to using LocalCluster) would mistakenly configure their respective Dask workers to listen on external interfaces (typically with a randomly selected high port) rather than only on localhost. A Dask cluster created using this method (when running on a machine that has an applicable port exposed) could be used by a sophisticated attacker to achieve remote code execution.

Record
GHSA-j8fq-86c5-5v2r
CVSS 4.0
9.3 CriticalCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
CVSS 3.1
9.8 CriticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Weakness
CWE-668
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVALPINE-CVE-2021-42343 9.8

An issue was discovered in the Dask distributed package before 2021.10.0 for Python. Single machine Dask clusters started with dask.distributed.LocalCluster or dask.distributed.Client (which defaults to using LocalCluster) would mistakenly configure their respective Dask workers to listen on external interfaces (typically with a randomly selected high port) rather than only on localhost. A Dask cluster created using this method (when running on a machine that has an applicable port exposed) could be used by a sophisticated attacker to achieve remote code execution.

Record
ALPINE-CVE-2021-42343
CVSS 3.1
9.8 CriticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Updated
2026-11-03
Show 11 moreShow less
OSV 9.8

An issue was discovered in the Dask distributed package before 2021.10.0 for Python. Single machine Dask clusters started with dask.distributed.LocalCluster or dask.distributed.Client (which defaults to using LocalCluster) would mistakenly configure their respective Dask workers to listen on external interfaces (typically with a randomly selected high port) rather than only on localhost. A Dask cluster created using this method (when running on a machine that has an applicable port exposed) could be used by a sophisticated attacker to achieve remote code execution.

Record
CVE-2021-42343
CVSS 3.1
9.8 CriticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2021-42343 9.8

An issue was discovered in the Dask distributed package before 2021.10.0 for Python. Single machine Dask clusters started with dask.distributed.LocalCluster or dask.distributed.Client (which defaults to using LocalCluster) would mistakenly configure their respective Dask workers to listen on external interfaces (typically with a randomly selected high port) rather than only on localhost. A Dask cluster created using this method (when running on a machine that has an applicable port exposed) could be used by a sophisticated attacker to achieve remote code execution.

Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2021-42343
CVSS 3.1
9.8 CriticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-hwqr-f3v9-hwxr 9.3

Workers for local Dask clusters mistakenly listened on public interfaces

Versions of distributed earlier than 2021.10.0 had a potential security vulnerability relating to single-machine Dask clusters.

Clusters started with dask.distributed.LocalCluster or dask.distributed.Client() (which defaults to using LocalCluster) would mistakenly configure their respective Dask workers to listen on external interfaces (typically with a randomly selected high port) rather than only on localhost. A Dask cluster created using this method AND running on a machine that has these ports exposed could be used by a sophisticated attacker to enable remote code execution. Users running on machines with standard firewalls in place, or using clusters created via cluster objects other than LocalCluster (e.g. dask_kubernetes.KubeCluster) should not be affected. This vulnerability is documented in CVE-2021-42343, and was fixed in version 2021.10.0 (PR #5427).

Record
GHSA-hwqr-f3v9-hwxr
CVSS 4.0
9.3 CriticalCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
CVSS 3.1
9.8 CriticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Weakness
CWE-668
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-j8fq-86c5-5v2r 9.3

Duplicate Advisory: Remote code execution in dask

Duplicate Advisory

This advisory has been withdrawn because it is a duplicate of GHSA-hwqr-f3v9-hwxr. This link is maintained to preserve external references.

Original Description

An issue was discovered in Dask (aka python-dask) through 2021.09.1. Single machine Dask clusters started with dask.distributed.LocalCluster or dask.distributed.Client (which defaults to using LocalCluster) would mistakenly configure their respective Dask workers to listen on external interfaces (typically with a randomly selected high port) rather than only on localhost. A Dask cluster created using this method (when running on a machine that has an applicable port exposed) could be used by a sophisticated attacker to achieve remote code execution.

Record
GHSA-j8fq-86c5-5v2r
CVSS 4.0
9.3 CriticalCVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
CVSS 3.1
9.8 CriticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Weakness
CWE-668
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2021-42343 9.8

An issue was discovered in the Dask distributed package before 2021.10.0 for Python. Single machine Dask clusters started with dask.distributed.LocalCluster or dask.distributed.Client (which defaults to using LocalCluster) would mistakenly configure their respective Dask workers to listen on external interfaces (typically with a randomly selected high port) rather than only on localhost. A Dask cluster created using this method (when running on a machine that has an applicable port exposed) could be used by a sophisticated attacker to achieve remote code execution.

Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2021-42343
CVSS 3.1
9.8 CriticalCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2024:11766-1 No score

python38-distributed-2022.1.0-1.1 on GA media

These are all security issues fixed in the python38-distributed-2022.1.0-1.1 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.

Record
openSUSE-SU-2024:11766-1
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2024:13920-1 No score

python310-distributed-2024.4.2-1.1 on GA media

These are all security issues fixed in the python310-distributed-2024.4.2-1.1 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.

Record
openSUSE-SU-2024:13920-1
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2026:11043-1 No score

python313-distributed-2026.6.0-1.1 on GA media

These are all security issues fixed in the python313-distributed-2026.6.0-1.1 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.

Record
openSUSE-SU-2026:11043-1
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVPYSEC-2021-387 No score

An issue was discovered in Dask (aka python-dask) through 2021.09.1. Single machine Dask clusters started with dask.distributed.LocalCluster or dask.distributed.Client (which defaults to using LocalCluster) would mistakenly configure their respective Dask workers to listen on external interfaces (typically with a randomly selected high port) rather than only on localhost. A Dask cluster created using this method (when running on a machine that has an applicable port exposed) could be used by a sophisticated attacker to achieve remote code execution.

Record
PYSEC-2021-387
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVPYSEC-2021-871 No score

An issue was discovered in the Dask distributed package before 2021.10.0 for Python. Single machine Dask clusters started with dask.distributed.LocalCluster or dask.distributed.Client (which defaults to using LocalCluster) would mistakenly configure their respective Dask workers to listen on external interfaces (typically with a randomly selected high port) rather than only on localhost. A Dask cluster created using this method (when running on a machine that has an applicable port exposed) could be used by a sophisticated attacker to achieve remote code execution.

Record
PYSEC-2021-871
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVPYSEC-2021-872 No score

Withdrawn as duplicate of PYSEC-2021-871. An issue was discovered in the Dask distributed package before 2021.10.0 for Python. Single machine Dask clusters started with dask.distributed.LocalCluster or dask.distributed.Client (which defaults to using LocalCluster) would mistakenly configure their respective Dask workers to listen on external interfaces (typically with a randomly selected high port) rather than only on localhost. A Dask cluster created using this method (when running on a machine that has an applicable port exposed) could be used by a sophisticated attacker to achieve remote code execution.

Record
PYSEC-2021-872
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
distributed
PyPI
before 2021.10.0
2021.10.0
py3-dask
Alpine:v3.16
before 2022.2.0-r0
2022.2.0-r0
py3-dask
Alpine:v3.17
before 2022.2.0-r0
2022.2.0-r0
py3-dask
Alpine:v3.18
before 2022.2.0-r0
2022.2.0-r0
py3-dask
Alpine:v3.19
before 2022.2.0-r0
2022.2.0-r0
py3-dask
Alpine:v3.20
before 2022.2.0-r0
2022.2.0-r0
py3-dask
Alpine:v3.21
before 2022.2.0-r0
2022.2.0-r0
py3-dask
Alpine:v3.22
before 2022.2.0-r0
2022.2.0-r0
py3-dask
Alpine:v3.23
before 2022.2.0-r0
2022.2.0-r0
py3-dask
Alpine:v3.24
before 2022.2.0-r0
2022.2.0-r0
Show 10 moreShow less
Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
dask.distributed
Debian:12
before 2021.09.1+ds.1-2
2021.09.1+ds.1-2
dask.distributed
Debian:13
before 2021.09.1+ds.1-2
2021.09.1+ds.1-2
dask.distributed
Debian:14
before 2021.09.1+ds.1-2
2021.09.1+ds.1-2
distributed
PyPI
before 2021.10.0, plus listed versions
1.0.01.0.11.0.21.1.01.10.0
Show 45 moreShow less
1.10.11.10.21.11.01.11.11.11.21.11.31.12.01.12.11.12.21.13.01.13.11.13.21.13.31.14.01.14.11.14.31.15.01.15.0rc11.15.11.15.21.16.01.16.11.16.21.16.31.17.01.17.11.18.01.18.11.18.21.18.31.19.01.19.11.19.21.19.31.2.01.2.11.2.21.2.31.20.01.20.11.20.21.21.01.21.11.21.21.21.3
2021.10.0
dask
PyPI
before 2021.10.0, plus listed versions
0.10.00.10.10.10.20.11.00.11.1
Show 45 moreShow less
0.12.00.13.00.13.0rc10.14.00.14.10.14.20.14.30.15.00.15.10.15.20.15.30.15.40.16.00.16.10.17.00.17.10.17.20.17.30.17.40.17.50.18.00.18.10.18.20.19.00.19.10.19.20.19.30.19.40.2.00.2.10.2.20.2.30.2.40.2.50.2.60.20.00.20.10.20.20.3.00.4.00.5.00.6.00.6.10.7.00.7.1
2021.10.0
dask.distributed
Ubuntu:18.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
1.18.0+ds.1-11.20.2+ds.1-11.20.2+ds.1-2
None known
dask.distributed
Ubuntu:20.04:LTS
All versions, plus listed versions
1.25.0+ds.1-1
None known
python-distributed
openSUSE:Tumbleweed
before 2022.1.0-1.1
2022.1.0-1.1
python-distributed
openSUSE:Tumbleweed
before 2024.4.2-1.1
2024.4.2-1.1
python-distributed
openSUSE:Tumbleweed
before 2026.6.0-1.1
2026.6.0-1.1

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
affected, aliases, referencesOSV
affected
aliasesEUVD
first indexedCVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV

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

In short

CVE-2021-42343 is a critical vulnerability (CVSS 9.8) in Anaconda Dask, published October 26, 2021. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 2.98%, the 87th percentile. Fixed in distributed 2021.10.0.

References

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