Auth bypass in Apache Couchdb

CVE-2020-1955

CouchDB version 3.0.0 shipped with a new configuration setting that governs access control to the entire database server called `require_valid_user_except_for_up`. It was meant as an extension to the long standing setting `require_valid_user`, which in turn requires that any and all requests to CouchDB will have to be made with valid credentials, effectively forbidding any anonymous requests. The new `require_valid_user_except_for_up` is an off-by-default setting that was meant to allow requiring valid credentials for all endpoints except for the `/_up` endpoint. However, the implementation of this made an error that lead to not enforcing credentials on any endpoint, when enabled. CouchDB versions 3.0.1[1] and 3.1.0[2] fix this issue.

Vulnerability class: Broken Authentication

Published · last modified .

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 9.8 (Critical). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.018 (78.9th percentile), scored .

Low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, but still tracked. 79th percentile — 78.9% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS trend (30 days)EPSS over the last 30 days for CVE-2020-1955: held from 0.018 to 0.018.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.018 · newest: 0.018 · change: 0.000

Affected products

  • Apache Couchdb — versions 3.0.0
  • Apache Couchdb — versions Apache CouchDB 3.0.0

Weakness classification (CWE)

References

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-1955?
CVE-2020-1955 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Apache Couchdb, classified under Missing Authentication for Critical Function. CVSS score: 9.8/10. Published 2020-05-20.
How severe is CVE-2020-1955?
Critical severity. CVSS v3 base score is 9.8 out of 10.