Summary
Celery local privilege escalation vulnerability
Celery 2.1 and 2.2 before 2.2.8, 2.3 before 2.3.4, and 2.4 before 2.4.4 changes the effective id but not the real id during processing of the --uid and --gid arguments to celerybeat, celeryd_detach, celeryd-multi, and celeryev, which allows local users to gain privileges via vectors involving crafted code that is executed by the worker process.
Impact
The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access. Typical impact: privilege escalation beyond the intended level.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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celery to 2.2.8 or later; celery to 2.3.4 or later; celery to 2.4.4 or later
Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2011-4356? CVE-2011-4356 is a medium-severity improper privilege management vulnerability in celery (pip), affecting versions >= 2.1.0, < 2.2.8. It is fixed in 2.2.8, 2.3.4, 2.4.4. The application assigns, modifies, tracks, or checks privileges incorrectly, allowing a user to gain elevated access.
- Which versions of celery are affected by CVE-2011-4356? celery (pip) versions >= 2.1.0, < 2.2.8 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2011-4356? Yes. CVE-2011-4356 is fixed in 2.2.8, 2.3.4, 2.4.4. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2011-4356 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2011-4356 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2011-4356 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2011-4356?
- Upgrade
celeryto 2.2.8 or later - Upgrade
celeryto 2.3.4 or later - Upgrade
celeryto 2.4.4 or later
- Upgrade