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CVE-2021-43799

RabbitMQ exposes ports with weak default secrets in Zulip Server

8.6 HighPublic exploit

Zulip is an open-source team collaboration tool. Zulip Server installs RabbitMQ for internal message passing. In versions of Zulip Server prior to 4.9, the initial installation (until first reboot, or restart of RabbitMQ) does not successfully limit the default ports which RabbitMQ opens; this includes port 25672, the RabbitMQ distribution port, which is used as a management port. RabbitMQ's default "cookie" which protects this port is generated using a weak PRNG, which limits the entropy of the password to at most 36 bits; in practicality, the seed for the randomizer is biased, resulting in approximately 20 bits of entropy. If other firewalls (at the OS or network level) do not protect port 25672, a remote attacker can brute-force the 20 bits of entropy in the "cookie" and leverage it for arbitrary execution of code as the rabbitmq user. They can also read all data which is sent through RabbitMQ, which includes all message traffic sent by users. Version 4.9 contains a patch for this vulnerability. As a workaround, ensure that firewalls prevent access to ports 5672 and 25672 from outside the Zulip server.

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
None
Availability
None

Exploit likelihood

5.39%Up 2.6 points since Jan 26, 2022
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

CVE List Score used 8.6

RabbitMQ exposes ports with weak default secrets in Zulip Server

Zulip is an open-source team collaboration tool. Zulip Server installs RabbitMQ for internal message passing. In versions of Zulip Server prior to 4.9, the initial installation (until first reboot, or restart of RabbitMQ) does not successfully limit the default ports which RabbitMQ opens; this includes port 25672, the RabbitMQ distribution port, which is used as a management port. RabbitMQ's default "cookie" which protects this port is generated using a weak PRNG, which limits the entropy of the password to at most 36 bits; in practicality, the seed for the randomizer is biased, resulting in approximately 20 bits of entropy. If other firewalls (at the OS or network level) do not protect port 25672, a remote attacker can brute-force the 20 bits of entropy in the "cookie" and leverage it for arbitrary execution of code as the rabbitmq user. They can also read all data which is sent through RabbitMQ, which includes all message traffic sent by users. Version 4.9 contains a patch for this vulnerability. As a workaround, ensure that firewalls prevent access to ports 5672 and 25672 from outside the Zulip server.

Record
CVE-2021-43799
CVSS 3.1
8.6 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
Weakness
CWE-338
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2021-30692 8.6

Zulip is an open-source team collaboration tool. Zulip Server installs RabbitMQ for internal message passing. In versions of Zulip Server prior to 4.9, the initial installation (until first reboot, or restart of RabbitMQ) does not successfully limit the default ports which RabbitMQ opens; this includes port 25672, the RabbitMQ distribution port, which is used as a management port. RabbitMQ's default "cookie" which protects this port is generated using a weak PRNG, which limits the entropy of the password to at most 36 bits; in practicality, the seed for the randomizer is biased, resulting in approximately 20 bits of entropy. If other firewalls (at the OS or network level) do not protect port 25672, a remote attacker can brute-force the 20 bits of entropy in the "cookie" and leverage it for arbitrary execution of code as the rabbitmq user. They can also read all data which is sent through RabbitMQ, which includes all message traffic sent by users. Version 4.9 contains a patch for this vulnerability. As a workaround, ensure that firewalls prevent access to ports 5672 and 25672 from outside the Zulip server.

Record
EUVD-2021-30692
CVSS 3.1
8.6 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N
Updated
2026-11-02
NVD 8.6

Zulip is an open-source team collaboration tool. Zulip Server installs RabbitMQ for internal message passing. In versions of Zulip Server prior to 4.9, the initial installation (until first reboot, or restart of RabbitMQ) does not successfully limit the default ports which RabbitMQ opens; this includes port 25672, the RabbitMQ distribution port, which is used as a management port. RabbitMQ's default "cookie" which protects this port is generated using a weak PRNG, which limits the entropy of the password to at most 36 bits; in practicality, the seed for the randomizer is biased, resulting in approximately 20 bits of entropy. If other firewalls (at the OS or network level) do not protect port 25672, a remote attacker can brute-force the 20 bits of entropy in the "cookie" and leverage it for arbitrary execution of code as the rabbitmq user. They can also read all data which is sent through RabbitMQ, which includes all message traffic sent by users. Version 4.9 contains a patch for this vulnerability. As a workaround, ensure that firewalls prevent access to ports 5672 and 25672 from outside the Zulip server.

Record
CVE-2021-43799
CVSS 3.1
8.6 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A: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
CVSS 2.0
5.0 MediumAV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
Weakness
CWE-338
Updated
2026-11-02
OSV 9.8

Zulip is an open-source team collaboration tool. Zulip Server installs RabbitMQ for internal message passing. In versions of Zulip Server prior to 4.9, the initial installation (until first reboot, or restart of RabbitMQ) does not successfully limit the default ports which RabbitMQ opens; this includes port 25672, the RabbitMQ distribution port, which is used as a management port. RabbitMQ's default "cookie" which protects this port is generated using a weak PRNG, which limits the entropy of the password to at most 36 bits; in practicality, the seed for the randomizer is biased, resulting in approximately 20 bits of entropy. If other firewalls (at the OS or network level) do not protect port 25672, a remote attacker can brute-force the 20 bits of entropy in the "cookie" and leverage it for arbitrary execution of code as the rabbitmq user. They can also read all data which is sent through RabbitMQ, which includes all message traffic sent by users. Version 4.9 contains a patch for this vulnerability. As a workaround, ensure that firewalls prevent access to ports 5672 and 25672 from outside the Zulip server.

Record
CVE-2021-43799
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

Affected products

Public exploits

Links only. Every CVE stores no exploit code.

Public exploits
SourceLinkDate
PoC in GitHubscopion/CVE-2021-437992021-12-08

History

History
RecordedChangedSources
first indexedCVE List, EUVD, NVD, OSV, PoC in GitHub

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

In short

CVE-2021-43799 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 8.6) in Zulip, published January 25, 2022. Public exploit code exists. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 5.39%, the 92nd percentile. No source names a fixed version.

References

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