CVE-2021-43799
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.
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
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 High
CVSS: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 High
CVSS: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 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N - CVSS 3.1
- 9.8 Critical
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H - CVSS 2.0
- 5.0 Medium
AV: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 Critical
CVSS: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.
| Source | Link | Date |
|---|---|---|
| PoC in GitHub | scopion/CVE-2021-43799 | 2021-12-08 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| first indexed | CVE 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.