What is CVE-2021-3013?

CVE-2021-3013 is a critical-severity OS command injection vulnerability in ripgrep (rust), affecting versions < 13.0.0. It is fixed in 13.0.0, 0.1.6. Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host.

How severe is CVE-2021-3013?

CVE-2021-3013 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2021-3013?

ripgrep (rust) versions < 13.0.0; grep-cli (rust) versions < 0.1.6.

Is there a fix for CVE-2021-3013?

Yes. CVE-2021-3013 is fixed in 13.0.0, 0.1.6. Upgrade to this version or later.

Is CVE-2021-3013 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2021-3013 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.

What actually determines whether CVE-2021-3013 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-2021-3013?

Upgrade: ripgrep to 13.0.0 or later, grep-cli to 0.1.6 or later.

CVE-2021-3013 in ripgrep

Q: How severe is CVE-2021-3013?

CVE-2021-3013 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.

Q: Which packages are affected by CVE-2021-3013?

ripgrep (rust) versions < 13.0.0; grep-cli (rust) versions < 0.1.6.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2021-3013?

Yes. CVE-2021-3013 is fixed in 13.0.0, 0.1.6. Upgrade to this version or later.

Q: Is CVE-2021-3013 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2021-3013 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.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2021-3013 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.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2021-3013?

Upgrade: ripgrep to 13.0.0 or later, grep-cli to 0.1.6 or later.

Summary

OS command injection in ripgrep

ripgrep before 13 on Windows allows attackers to trigger execution of arbitrary programs from the current working directory via the -z/--search-zip or --pre flag.

Impact

Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host. Typical impact: code execution in the application's environment.

CVE-2021-3013 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (13.0.0, 0.1.6); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.

Affected versions

ripgrep (< 13.0.0) grep-cli (< 0.1.6)

Security releases

ripgrep → 13.0.0 (rust) grep-cli → 0.1.6 (rust)

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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Remediation advice

Upgrade the following packages to resolve this vulnerability:

ripgrep to 13.0.0 or later; grep-cli to 0.1.6 or later

Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-3013? CVE-2021-3013 is a critical-severity OS command injection vulnerability in ripgrep (rust), affecting versions < 13.0.0. It is fixed in 13.0.0, 0.1.6. Untrusted input reaches a shell command, allowing arbitrary commands to run on the host.
How severe is CVE-2021-3013? CVE-2021-3013 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
Which packages are affected by CVE-2021-3013?
- ripgrep (rust) (versions < 13.0.0)
- grep-cli (rust) (versions < 0.1.6)
Is there a fix for CVE-2021-3013? Yes. CVE-2021-3013 is fixed in 13.0.0, 0.1.6. Upgrade to this version or later.
Is CVE-2021-3013 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2021-3013 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-2021-3013 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-2021-3013?
- Upgrade ripgrep to 13.0.0 or later
- Upgrade grep-cli to 0.1.6 or later