CVE-2021-29429: In Gradle before version 7.0, files created with open permissions in the system temporary directory can allow an attacker to access information downloaded by Gr

In Gradle before version 7.0, files created with open permissions in the system temporary directory can allow an attacker to access information downloaded by Gr

In Gradle before version 7.0, files created with open permissions in the system temporary directory can allow an attacker to access information downloaded by Gradle. Some builds could be vulnerable to a local information disclosure. Remote files accessed through TextResourceFactory are downloaded into the system temporary directory first. Sensitive information contained in these files can be exposed to other local users on the same system. If you do not use the `TextResourceFactory` API, you are not vulnerable. As of Gradle 7.0, uses of the system temporary directory have been moved to the Gradle User Home directory. By default, this directory is restricted to the user running the build. As a workaround, set a more restrictive umask that removes read access to other users. When files are created in the system temporary directory, they will not be accessible to other users. If you are unable to change your system's umask, you can move the Java temporary directory by setting the System Property `java.io.tmpdir`. The new path needs to limit permissions to the build user only.

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by GitHub

What it means for a small business

If your business uses gradle, install the vendor's update. If you're not sure whether you use it, ask whoever manages your computers.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.48%, higher than 41% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored October 28, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

Website check: reads what your site runs from the outside (WordPress version, plugins it can see, old server software) and matches it against this database.
Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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