CVE-2017-12635: Critical severity apache couchdb vulnerability

Published Nov 14, 2017
·
Updated

Due to differences in the Erlang-based JSON parser and JavaScript-based JSON parser, it is possible in Apache CouchDB before 1.7.0 and 2.x before 2.1.1 to submit users documents with duplicate keys for 'roles' used for access control within the database, including the special case 'admin' role, that denotes administrative users. In combination with CVE-2017-12636 (Remote Code Execution), this can be used to give non-admin users access to arbitrary shell commands on the server as the database system user. The JSON parser differences result in behaviour that if two 'roles' keys are available in the JSON, the second one will be used for authorising the document write, but the first 'roles' key is used for subsequent authorization for the newly created user. By design, users can not assign themselves roles. The vulnerability allows non-admin users to give themselves admin privileges.

Affected Software

6 affected components
Apache CouchDB<1.7.0
Apache CouchDB=2.0.0
Apache CouchDB=2.0.0-rc1
Apache CouchDB=2.0.0-rc2
Apache CouchDB=2.0.0-rc3
Apache CouchDB=2.0.0-rc4

Event History

Nov 14, 2017
CVE Published
via MITRE·08:00 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·08:00 PM
DescriptionWeakness
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2017-12635?

CVE-2017-12635 is classified as a medium severity vulnerability due to potential access control issues.

2

How do I fix CVE-2017-12635?

To fix CVE-2017-12635, upgrade Apache CouchDB to version 1.7.0 or 2.1.1 or later.

3

Which versions of Apache CouchDB are affected by CVE-2017-12635?

Apache CouchDB versions before 1.7.0 and all 2.x versions prior to 2.1.1 are affected by CVE-2017-12635.

4

What kind of issues does CVE-2017-12635 expose?

CVE-2017-12635 exposes issues with duplicate keys in '_users' documents that could affect access control.

5

Is there a special role associated with CVE-2017-12635?

Yes, CVE-2017-12635 includes a special case for the '_admin' role in its access control vulnerabilities.

Contact

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