CVE-2025-21605
CVE-2025-21605 is a high-severity vulnerability in Redis with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-770.
Key facts
- Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.5)
- EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (53rd percentile)
- Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
- EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2025-12407
- Weakness: CWE-770
- Affected product: Redis
- Published:
- Last modified:
Description
Redis is an open source, in-memory database that persists on disk. In versions starting at 2.6 and prior to 7.4.3, An unauthenticated client can cause unlimited growth of output buffers, until the server runs out of memory or is killed. By default, the Redis configuration does not limit the output buffer of normal clients (see client-output-buffer-limit). Therefore, the output buffer can grow unlimitedly over time. As a result, the service is exhausted and the memory is unavailable. When password authentication is enabled on the Redis server, but no password is provided, the client can still cause the output buffer to grow from "NOAUTH" responses until the system will run out of memory. This issue has been patched in version 7.4.3. An additional workaround to mitigate this problem without patching the redis-server executable is to block access to prevent unauthenticated users from connecting to Redis. This can be done in different ways. Either using network access control tools like firewalls, iptables, security groups, etc, or enabling TLS and requiring users to authenticate using client side certificates.
Frequently asked questions
- What is CVE-2025-21605?
- Redis is an open source, in-memory database that persists on disk. In versions starting at 2.6 and prior to 7.4.3, An unauthenticated client can cause unlimited growth of output buffers, until the server runs out of memory or is killed. By default, the Redis configuration does not limit the output buffer of normal clients (see client-output-buffer-limit). Therefore, the output buffer can grow unlimitedly over time. As a result, the service is exhausted and the memory is unavailable. When password authentication is enabled on the Redis server, but no password is provided, the client can still cause the output buffer to grow from "NOAUTH" responses until the system will run out of memory. This issue has been patched in version 7.4.3. An additional workaround to mitigate this problem without patching the redis-server executable is to block access to prevent unauthenticated users from connecting to Redis. This can be done in different ways. Either using network access control tools like firewalls, iptables, security groups, etc, or enabling TLS and requiring users to authenticate using client side certificates.
- How severe is CVE-2025-21605?
- CVE-2025-21605 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
- Is CVE-2025-21605 being actively exploited?
- It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (53rd percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
- What products are affected by CVE-2025-21605?
- CVE-2025-21605 primarily affects Redis. In total, 3 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
- How do I fix CVE-2025-21605?
- Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
- Does CVE-2025-21605 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
- Yes. CVE-2025-21605 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2025-12407.
- When was CVE-2025-21605 published?
- CVE-2025-21605 was published on 2025-04-23 and last updated on 2026-06-17.
References
- https://github.com/redis/redis/releases/tag/7.4.3
- https://github.com/redis/redis/security/advisories/GHSA-r67f-p999-2gff
- https://github.com/valkey-io/valkey/releases/tag/8.1.1
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/05/msg00014.html
- https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-21605-detection-script-memory-exhaustion-vulnerability-in-redis-database
- https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2025-21605-mitigation-script-memory-exhaustion-vulnerability-in-redis-database
Affected products (3)
- cpe:2.3:a:redis:redis:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:a:lfprojects:valkey:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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