CVE-2025-21605: Redis DoS Vulnerability due to unlimited growth of output buffers abused by unauthenticated client

Published Apr 23, 2025
·
Updated

Redis DoS Vulnerability due to unlimited growth of output buffers abused by unauthenticated client

Other sources

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.

Red Hat

Affected Software

12 affected componentsFixes available
Redis redis>=2.6<7.4.3
Redis redis>=2.6.0<6.2.18
Redis redis>=7.0<7.2.8
Redis redis>=7.4.0<7.4.3
Lfprojects Valkey>=7.2.4<7.2.9
Lfprojects Valkey>=8.0.0<8.0.3
Lfprojects Valkey>=8.1.0<8.1.1
Debian Debian Linux=11.0
Microsoft cbl2 redis 6.2.20-1
Microsoft azl3 valkey 8.0.2-1<8.0.3-1
8.0.3-1
Microsoft azl3 valkey 8.0.3-1<8.0.3-1
8.0.3-1
Microsoft cbl2 redis 6.2.18-3

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade to a fixed release to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 8.0.3-1
  2. Upgrade

    Upgrade Redis to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 7.4.3
  3. Configuration

    If network access control is not sufficient, enable TLS on the Redis server and require users to authenticate using client side certificates to prevent unauthenticated clients from connecting.

    Redis TLS + client authentication (client side certificates) = enabled/required
  4. Configuration

    Configure Redis `client-output-buffer-limit` so output buffers are limited, since by default Redis does not limit the output buffer of normal clients.

    Redis client-output-buffer-limit = configured to limit output buffer (per client class)
  5. Compensating control

    Block unauthenticated users from connecting to the Redis server using network access control tools (e.g., firewalls, iptables, or security groups) to prevent unauthenticated clients from exhausting the service and growing output buffers.

Event History

Apr 23, 2025
CVE Published
via MITRE·03:38 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·03:38 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·04:02 PM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Data Sourced
via NVD·04:15 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Apr 29, 2025
Data Sourced
via Microsoft·12:00 AM
DescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Updated
via Microsoft·12:00 AM
Affected Software
Updated
via Microsoft·07:00 AM
DescriptionSeverity
Updated
via Microsoft·07:00 AM
Affected Software
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2025-21605?

CVE-2025-21605 is considered a critical vulnerability due to its potential to cause unlimited output buffer growth, leading to denial of service.

2

How do I fix CVE-2025-21605?

To fix CVE-2025-21605, update Redis to version 7.4.3 or later.

3

What versions of Redis are affected by CVE-2025-21605?

CVE-2025-21605 affects Redis versions starting from 2.6 up to and including 7.4.2.

4

What type of attack does CVE-2025-21605 allow?

CVE-2025-21605 allows an unauthenticated client to exploit the server, causing unlimited memory consumption.

5

Is authentication effective against CVE-2025-21605?

No, CVE-2025-21605 can be exploited by unauthenticated clients, making authentication insufficient to prevent the issue.

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