MongoDBDatabase / datastore
CVE-2013-4650
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedMongoDB 2.4.x before 2.4.5 and 2.5.x before 2.5.1 allows remote authenticated users to obtain internal system privileges by leveraging a username of __system in an arbitrary database.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceThis is a privilege escalation vulnerability in MongoDB where an authenticated user with a specially crafted username '__system' in any database can gain internal system privileges beyond what their authentication level should permit. The vulnerability affects versions 2.4.x before 2.4.5 and 2.5.x before 2.5.1.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
MongoDBDatabase / datastore
= 2.4.0= 2.4.1= 2.4.2= 2.4.3= 2.4.4= 2.5.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- Single
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:P
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify MongoDB server versionConnect to the MongoDB instance and run db.version() in the mongo shell, or run 'mongod --version' from the command lineAffected if The version returned is 2.4.0, 2.4.1, 2.4.2, 2.4.3, 2.4.4, or 2.5.0
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Confirm authentication is enabledCheck the MongoDB configuration file (typically /etc/mongodb.conf or /etc/mongod.conf) for the 'auth = true' setting, or attempt an unauthenticated connection and verify access is restrictedAffected if Authentication is enabled (this is required for the privilege escalation to be exploitable)
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Inspect for __system users in admin databaseRun 'use admin' followed by 'db.system.users.find()' to list all users in the admin database, looking for any document where the 'user' field equals '__system'Affected if A user document exists with username '__system' in the admin database
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Inspect for __system users in other databasesFor each database, run 'db.system.users.find()' to check for '__system' users. List all databases with 'show dbs' and iterate through eachAffected if A user document exists with username '__system' in any database other than admin
Your environment is affected if you run a vulnerable MongoDB version (2.4.0-2.4.4 or 2.5.0) with authentication enabled and have a user account named '__system' in any database.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpgrade MongoDB to version 2.4.5 or later (for the 2.4.x branch) or 2.5.1 or later (for the 2.5.x branch). Review user account configurations and ensure no unauthorized __system accounts exist in any database.
Fix this in MongoDB
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-4650 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2013-4650 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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