CRE-2025-0129

MongoDB Crash Loop Due to WiredTiger Metadata CorruptionCritical

Impact: 10/10

Mitigation: 9/10

CRE-2025-0129View on GitHub

MongoDBWiredTigerMetadataCorruptionCrash LoopStartup Failure

Description

Detects MongoDB failures where the server enters a crash loop due to corrupted WiredTiger metadata.

This prevents startup and often requires manual repair or restoration from backups.

Cause

WiredTiger metadata corruption caused by unclean shutdowns, disk failures, or filesystem issues.

MongoDB is unable to initialize its storage engine due to invalid or unreadable metadata.

Mitigation

Prevent unclean shutdowns, monitor disk and filesystem health, run regular backups.

If corruption occurs, attempt recovery with mongod --repair, or restore from a known good backup.

References

• https://www.mongodb.com/docs/manual/administration/repair/
• https://jira.mongodb.org/browse/SERVER-37978
• https://www.mongodb.com/community/forums/t/failed-to-start-wiredtiger-after-system-upgrade/13088