MesosApplication · Apache
CVE-2019-0204
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 · uneditedA specifically crafted Docker image running under the root user can overwrite the init helper binary of the container runtime and/or the command executor in Apache Mesos versions pre-1.4.x, 1.4.0 to 1.4.2, 1.5.0 to 1.5.2, 1.6.0 to 1.6.1, and 1.7.0 to 1.7.1. A malicious actor can therefore gain root-level code execution on the host.
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 confidenceThis vulnerability in Apache Mesos allows a container running as root to overwrite the init helper binary of the container runtime or command executor. By crafting a malicious Docker image, an attacker can replace these privileged binaries to achieve root-level code execution on the host system, effectively escaping container isolation.
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
MesosApplication
>= 1.4.0, < 1.4.3>= 1.5.0, < 1.5.3>= 1.6.0, < 1.6.2>= 1.7.0, < 1.7.2= 1.8.0
FuseApplication
= 7.5.0CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Mesos versionRun 'mesos-master --version' or 'mesos-agent --version' to determine the installed Mesos versionAffected if The installed version falls within >= 1.4.0 and < 1.4.3, >= 1.5.0 and < 1.5.3, >= 1.6.0 and < 1.6.2, >= 1.7.0 and < 1.7.2, or equals 1.8.0
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Confirm Mesos agent is runningCheck if the mesos-agent service is active using 'systemctl status mesos-agent' or 'ps aux | grep mesos-agent'Affected if Mesos agent is running and the version is vulnerable per step 1
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Check if root containers are permittedReview Mesos agent configuration files (typically in /etc/mesos-agent or /etc/mesos-slave) for container user settings, or inspect running containers using 'mesos-execute' or container runtime commands to see if they run as rootAffected if Containers are configured to run as root user, which is required for exploitation
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Inspect container runtime init helpersLocate and verify the integrity of init helper binaries used by the container runtime (such as docker-init, containerd-shim, or Mesos-specific executor helpers) by checking file permissions and ownershipAffected if These binaries are owned by root and writable, making them vulnerable to overwrite from a root container
You are affected if Mesos version is in the vulnerable range AND root containers are running in your environment.
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 data1.4.31.5.31.6.2
Upgrade Apache Mesos to version 1.4.3, 1.5.3, 1.6.2, 1.7.2, or later. Additionally, avoid running containers as root user in Mesos environments to reduce the attack surface.
Fix this in Mesos
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing10.0 h
- Review / QA6.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $9,504.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-0204 — 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-2019-0204 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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