CVE-2021-32761 | Integer overflow issues with *BIT commands on 32-bit systems

Redis is an in-memory database that persists on disk. A vulnerability involving out-of-bounds read and integer overflow to buffer overflow exists starting with version 2.2 and prior to versions 5.0.13, 6.0.15, and 6.2.5. On 32-bit systems, Redis `*BIT*` command are vulnerable to integer overflow that can potentially be exploited to corrupt the heap, leak arbitrary heap contents or trigger remote code execution. The vulnerability involves changing the default `proto-max-bulk-len` configuration parameter to a very large value and constructing specially crafted commands bit commands. This problem only affects Redis on 32-bit platforms, or compiled as a 32-bit binary. Redis versions 5.0.`3m 6.0.15, and 6.2.5 contain patches for this issue. An additional workaround to mitigate the problem without patching the `redis-server` executable is to prevent users from modifying the `proto-max-bulk-len` configuration parameter. This can be done using ACL to restrict unprivileged users from using the CONFIG SET command.

Published: 2021-07-21 Last update: 2026-06-16 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2021-32761 is rated High Risk (69.3/100): CVSS High severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 31.05%, 98th percentile). Core evidence: EPSS ranks this CVE among the most likely to be exploited in the near term. EPSS rose +30.85% over the last day, indicating growing attacker interest. Mandatory action: High exploitation likelihood—assess exposure and prioritize remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2021-32761

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-15 0.20% 31.05% +30.85%
2 2026-04-17 0.48% 0.20% -0.29%
3 2026-03-21 0.48%

Full EPSS history (31 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2021-32761

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.5 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
1.6 5.9 [email protected]
7.5 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
1.6 5.9 [email protected]
6.0 2.0 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:M/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:M)
Exploitation needs some favorable conditions, but not exceptional ones.
Authentication (AU:S)
A single authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:P)
Partial confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:P)
Partial integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:P)
Partial availability impact.
6.8 6.4 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2021-32761

OS Trackers for CVE-2021-32761

vendor priority summary link
alpine high CVE-2021-32761: 1 source package rows (redis); 30 state rows across 10 repos (3.11-main, 3.12-main, 3.17-main, 3.18-main, 3.19-main, 3.20-community, 3.21-community, 3.22-community, edge-community, edge-main); fixed 10, open 20. https://security.alpinelinux.org/vuln/CVE-2021-32761
debian not yet assigned CVE-2021-32761 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (redis), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2021-32761
gentoo high CVE-2021-32761: 1 GLSA(s) (202209-17), 1 atom(s) (dev-db/redis); latest impact high. https://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?quicksearch=CVE-2021-32761
redhat medium https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-32761
suse high https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-32761/
ubuntu medium CVE-2021-32761 medium priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (redis), 11 status rows across 11 suites (bionic, focal, groovy, hirsute, impish, jammy, kinetic, lunar, trusty, upstream, xenial): not-affected 5, released 5, ignored 1. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-32761

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2021-32761

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
redislabs redis >= 2.2.0, < 5.0.13 cpe:2.3:a:redislabs:redis:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
redislabs redis >= 6.0, < 6.0.15 cpe:2.3:a:redislabs:redis:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
redislabs redis >= 6.2.0, < 6.2.5 cpe:2.3:a:redislabs:redis:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
debian debian_linux 9.0 cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
debian debian_linux 10.0 cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
debian debian_linux 11.0 cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
fedoraproject fedora 33 cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:33:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
fedoraproject fedora 34 cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:34:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2021-32761

cvelogic Threat Intelligence