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Puppet EnterpriseApplication · Puppet

CVE-2018-11749

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-08-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2018.1.3 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
When users are configured to use startTLS with RBAC LDAP, at login time, the user's credentials are sent via plaintext to the LDAP server. This affects Puppet Enterprise 2018.1.3, 2017.3.9, and 2016.4.14, and is fixed in Puppet Enterprise 2018.1.4, 2017.3.10, and 2016.4.15. It scored an 8.5 CVSS score.

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 · high confidence

In Puppet Enterprise, when LDAP authentication with RBAC is configured to use startTLS for encrypted connections, user credentials are transmitted in plaintext to the LDAP server at login time instead of being encrypted, despite the startTLS configuration. This allows credential interception by attackers with network access.

MitigationUpgrade Puppet Enterprise to version 2018.1.4, 2017.3.10, or 2016.4.15 or later to obtain the fix. Alternatively, ensure network-level protections are in place between the Puppet server and LDAP infrastructure.

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
Puppet EnterpriseApplication
Affected:<= 2016.4.14>= 2017.3.0, <= 2017.3.9>= 2018.1.0, <= 2018.1.3

CVSS 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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check Puppet Enterprise version
    Run `puppet --version` or check the Puppet Enterprise console UI footer for the version number. Alternatively, check the file `/opt/puppetlabs/puppet/VERSION` if available.
    Affected if The installed version is 2016.4.14 or lower; OR 2017.3.0 through 2017.3.9; OR 2018.1.0 through 2018.1.3.
  2. Verify LDAP authentication is configured
    In the Puppet Enterprise console, navigate to Access Control > LDAP. Alternatively, inspect the RBAC LDAP configuration files in `/etc/puppetlabs/puppetserver/rbac` or via the Puppet Enterprise API.
    Affected if LDAP authentication with RBAC is actively configured and in use for user login.
  3. Confirm startTLS is enabled for LDAP
    Examine the LDAP configuration settings in the Puppet Enterprise console under Access Control > LDAP > [LDAP connection]. Look for the 'Use startTLS' or 'Encryption' setting. This can also be checked via the RBAC service API or by reviewing the `ldap` section in the classifier or Hiera data.
    Affected if The 'Use startTLS' option is checked or set to true in the LDAP connection configuration.
  4. Inspect LDAP connection traffic (if possible)
    Use network capture tools on the Puppet server to observe LDAP traffic during a login attempt. Monitor whether the connection upgrades to TLS/SSL encryption after the startTLS handshake, or if credentials are sent in plaintext.
    Affected if Login attempts transmit the user password in plaintext before or without a successful TLS handshake, indicating the startTLS bug is present.

You are affected if your Puppet Enterprise version falls within the vulnerable ranges AND LDAP authentication with startTLS is configured and active.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2018.1.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Puppet Enterprise to version 2018.1.4, 2017.3.10, or 2016.4.15 or later to obtain the fix. Alternatively, ensure network-level protections are in place between the Puppet server and LDAP infrastructure.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Puppet Enterprise 2016.4.15 (if on 2016.4.x), 2017.3.10 (if on 2017.3.x), or 2018.1.4 (if on 2018.1.x)

  1. 1. Identify the current Puppet Enterprise version by running: puppet --version or checking the console
  2. 2. Determine the appropriate upgrade path based on current version (see upgrade_path)
  3. 3. Review Puppet Enterprise upgrade documentation for your version at puppet.com/docs
  4. 4. Create a complete backup of the Puppet Enterprise infrastructure including the database, configuration, and certificates
  5. 5. Test the upgrade in a non-production environment first
  6. 6. Upgrade Puppet Enterprise to the fixed version: 2016.4.15, 2017.3.10, or 2018.1.4 depending on your current branch
  7. 7. After upgrade, verify that LDAP with startTLS is functioning correctly by testing user authentication
  8. 8. Confirm credentials are now encrypted during LDAP authentication (check with packet capture if needed)
Caveat Standard Puppet Enterprise upgrade considerations apply - review release notes for your specific version path for any known issues or migration steps

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Puppet Enterprise Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-11749 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data