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Puppet EnterpriseApplication · Puppet

CVE-2019-10694

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-12-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2018.1.9 / 2019.0.3 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
The express install, which is the suggested way to install Puppet Enterprise, gives the user a URL at the end of the install to set the admin password. If they do not use that URL, there is an overlooked default password for the admin user. This was resolved in Puppet Enterprise 2019.0.3 and 2018.1.9.

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

Puppet Enterprise express install provides a URL at installation end for users to set the admin password. If this URL is not accessed, an overlooked default password remains active for the admin user, creating a critical default credential vulnerability.

MitigationUpgrade to Puppet Enterprise 2019.0.3 or 2018.1.9, and ensure all admin passwords are properly set through the installation-provided URL rather than relying on defaults.

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:>= 2018.1.0, < 2018.1.9>= 2019.0, < 2019.0.3

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:3.1/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 installed Puppet Enterprise version
    Run 'puppet --version' or check the Puppet Enterprise console for the version information
    Affected if The version falls within >= 2018.1.0 and < 2018.1.9, or >= 2019.0 and < 2019.0.3
  2. Verify admin password setup was completed
    During express installation, Puppet Enterprise provides a setup URL at the end. Check if this URL was accessed and the admin password was changed from default
    Affected if The admin password was never changed from the default via the installation-provided URL
  3. Test default admin credential
    Attempt to log in to the Puppet Enterprise console using the default admin username with a known default password pattern for this version (typically provided in Puppet documentation)
    Affected if The default admin password still works and grants administrative access
  4. Check installation log for express install completion
    Review Puppet Enterprise installation logs for signs of express install completion and whether the post-install password setup was accessed
    Affected if Installation used express install and the password setup step was skipped or not completed

A user is affected if their Puppet Enterprise version is within the affected range AND the default admin password from the express install was never changed by accessing the provided setup URL.

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 2018.1.9 / 2019.0.3 or later
Fixed in 2018.1.92019.0.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Puppet Enterprise 2019.0.3 or 2018.1.9, and ensure all admin passwords are properly set through the installation-provided URL rather than relying on defaults.

Recommended fix High confidence

Puppet Enterprise 2018.1.9 (for 2018.1.x users) or Puppet Enterprise 2019.0.3 (for 2019.0.x users)

  1. Identify your current Puppet Enterprise version by running `puppet --version` or checking the console
  2. If running Puppet Enterprise 2018.1.x (versions 2018.1.0 through 2018.1.8), upgrade to version 2018.1.9
  3. If running Puppet Enterprise 2019.0.x (versions 2019.0.0 through 2019.0.2), upgrade to version 2019.0.3
  4. Download the upgrade from puppet.com/download-enterprise.html or your Puppet account
  5. Follow the standard Puppet Enterprise upgrade documentation for your version path
  6. After upgrade completes, access the admin password setup URL provided during installation to set a strong, unique admin password
  7. Verify the upgrade was successful by logging into the Puppet Enterprise console
Caveat Puppet Enterprise minor version upgrades typically have minimal breaking changes; review release notes for any behavior changes specific to your version

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
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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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-2019-10694 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