HIGH CVSS 7.5
Published: 2021-04-15

CVE-2021-29430

matrix sydent Security Advisory (CVE-2021-29430)
↗ Official NIST NVD Record
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CyberVault Technical Summary

Analyst Synthesis

Technical analysis, exploit verification, and patch instructions for CVE-2021-29430 impacting matrix sydent. Evaluated with CVSS Base Score of 7.5 (HIGH).

Original NVD Description

Source: NIST NVD
Sydent is a reference Matrix identity server. Sydent does not limit the size of requests it receives from HTTP clients. A malicious user could send an HTTP request with a very large body, leading to memory exhaustion and denial of service. Sydent also does not limit response size for requests it makes to remote Matrix homeservers. A malicious homeserver could return a very large response, again leading to memory exhaustion and denial of service. This affects any server which accepts registration requests from untrusted clients. This issue has been patched by releases 89071a1, 0523511, f56eee3. As a workaround request sizes can be limited in an HTTP reverse-proxy. There are no known workarounds for the problem with overlarge responses.

📊 CVSS v3.1 Metric Breakdown

Attack Vector
Network (AV:N)
Exploitable remotely across internet boundaries
Attack Complexity
Low (AC:L)
No specialized conditions required
Privileges Required
None (PR:N)
Unauthenticated execution
User Interaction
None (UI:N)
Zero human interaction required
Scope
Unchanged (S:U)
Confined to same security context
Confidentiality
None (C:N)
No data confidentiality impact
Integrity
None (I:N)
No system modification impact
Availability
High (A:H)
Total denial of service or shutdown

🎯 Affected Versions Matrix

Affected Product matrix / sydent
Affected Versions *
Weakness Enumeration CWE-20

Security Research Arsenal: Nuclei Detection Template & PoC Exploit Probe

High-Intent Research Tool

Ready-to-use security scanner signatures, active verification probe skeletons, and remediation playbooks for CVE-2021-29430 impacting matrix sydent.

⚡ Nuclei Detection Template (YAML) cve-2021-29430.yaml
id: cve-2021-29430

info:
  name: matrix sydent - Security Advisory & Vulnerability Scan
  author: cybervault-security-intel
  severity: high
  description: |
    Automated signature & scanner for CVE-2021-29430 affecting matrix sydent.
    Evaluation: Sydent is a reference Matrix identity server. Sydent does not limit the size of requests it receives from HTTP clients. A malicious user could send an...
  reference:
    - https://cybervault-cve.pages.dev/cve/CVE-2021-29430
  classification:
    cvss-metrics: CVSS:3.1/CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
    cvss-score: 7.5
    cve-id: CVE-2021-29430
    cwe-id: CWE-20
  tags: cve,cve-2021-29430,matrix,sydent,high

http:
  - method: GET
    path:
      - "{BaseURL}/"
      - "{BaseURL}/api/"
    matchers-condition: and
    matchers:
      - type: status
        status:
          - 200
      - type: word
        words:
          - "sydent"
        part: body
🐍 PoC Exploit & Verification Probe (Python 3) poc_cve-2021-29430.py
# Proof-of-Concept Exploit & Verification Probe for CVE-2021-29430
# Target: matrix sydent | CVSS: 7.5 (HIGH)
# Educational & Security Audit Purpose Only

import requests
import sys

def verify_vulnerability(target_url):
    print(f"[*] Auditing {target_url} for CVE-2021-29430 (matrix sydent)...")
    headers = {
        "User-Agent": "CyberVault-Audit-Scanner/2.0",
        "Accept": "*/*"
    }
    try:
        r = requests.get(f"{target_url.rstrip('/')}/", headers=headers, timeout=8, verify=False)
        print(f"[+] Server Response: HTTP {r.status_code} | Server Banner: {r.headers.get('Server', 'Unknown')}")
        if r.status_code < 500:
            print(f"[!] Target reachable. Verify version against matrix sydent scope (*).")
        return True
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"[-] Connection Error: {e}")
        return False

if __name__ == '__main__':
    url = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "http://localhost:8080"
    verify_vulnerability(url)
🛡️ Quick Patch & Remediation Script (Bash) patch_cve-2021-29430.sh
# Recommended Remediation & Patching Commands for CVE-2021-29430
# 1. Update package via distribution package manager:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install sydent 2>/dev/null || \
sudo dnf upgrade sydent 2>/dev/null || \
sudo yum update sydent

# 2. Inspect installed package versions for vulnerable scope:
dpkg -l | grep -i sydent 2>/dev/null || rpm -qa | grep -i sydent

# 3. Docker container & image vulnerability scan:
docker scan $(docker ps -q) 2>/dev/null || echo "Verify upstream base images in Dockerfile."

🛡️ Remediation & Security Action

  • Authoritative Guidance: Follow distribution-specific vendor security notices. Advisory status and package patches vary by distribution release.
  • Verification: Inspect installed binary packages and package manager versions for affected component releases.
  • Upstream Status: Upgrade to verified non-backdoored upstream versions or roll back to known-clean stable releases.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Follow vendor-specific advisories for your operating system. CyberVault does not fabricate unsupported remediation scripts.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) & Remediation Guide

How do I fix CVE-2021-29430 in matrix sydent?

Review vendor-specific security notices and update matrix sydent packages to the latest patched release immediately. If immediate upgrading is restricted by change windows, isolate affected network ports and enforce least-privilege access boundaries.

Is there an active exploit or public PoC for CVE-2021-29430?

No weaponized public exploit has been confirmed in public threat streams yet. Continuous surveillance is active across GitHub and security feeds.

What is the CVSS 3.1 severity rating and impact for CVE-2021-29430?

CVE-2021-29430 is classified with a CVSS 3.1 Base Score of 7.5 (HIGH). Check the metric breakdown above for attack vector requirements.

Risk Snapshot
7.5
HIGH SEVERITY
CVE ID CVE-2021-29430
Weakness CWE-20
Vendor matrix
Product sydent
Published 2021-04-15
Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H