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GemfireApplication · VMware

CVE-2019-11286

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-07-31
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.8.2 / 1.9.2 or later.
See remediation →
97/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
VMware GemFire versions prior to 9.10.0, 9.9.1, 9.8.5, and 9.7.5, and VMware Tanzu GemFire for VMs versions prior to 1.11.0, 1.10.1, 1.9.2, and 1.8.2, contain a JMX service available to the network which does not properly restrict input. A remote authenticated malicious user may request against the service with a crafted set of credentials leading to remote code execution.

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

VMware GemFire contains a JMX service exposed to the network that fails to properly restrict input validation. An authenticated remote attacker can send specially crafted credential requests to achieve remote code execution.

MitigationUpgrade to GemFire 9.10.0, 9.9.1, 9.8.5, or 9.7.5 (or respective Tanzu versions), or restrict JMX service network accessibility via firewall/network segmentation.

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
GemfireApplication
Affected:>= 9.7.0, < 9.7.5>= 9.8.0, < 9.8.5>= 9.9.0, < 9.9.1
Tanzu Gemfire For Virtual MachinesApplication
Affected:>= 1.8.0, < 1.8.2>= 1.9.0, < 1.9.2>= 1.10.0, < 1.10.1

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/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. Identify GemFire product and version
    Run 'gemfire version' or check the product installation directory for a version file. For Tanzu GemFire for VMs, check the installed tiles or Pivotal Operations Manager. Alternatively, check gfsh version output if available.
    Affected if The installed version falls within 9.7.0 to 9.7.4, 9.8.0 to 9.8.4, or 9.9.0 (for VMware GemFire) or 1.8.0 to 1.8.1, 1.9.0 to 1.9.1, or 1.10.0 (for Tanzu GemFire for VMs).
  2. Locate JMX service configuration
    Search for 'jmx-manager' or 'jmx-manager-port' in GemFire configuration files: gemfire.properties, gfsecurity.properties, or cache.xml in the GemFire config directory.
    Affected if JMX manager is explicitly enabled via jmx-manager=true or jmx-manager-port is defined in the configuration.
  3. Verify JMX network binding
    Check the network interface binding for the JMX service. Inspect the jmx-manager-host value in gemfire.properties. Run 'netstat -an | grep -E "1099|7199"' or check for any custom JMX port configured to see if the service is listening on network interfaces.
    Affected if JMX is bound to a non-loopback address (0.0.0.0 or a specific IP) rather than localhost/127.0.0.1, making it network-accessible.
  4. Confirm JMX authentication status
    Review gemfire.properties or gfsecurity.properties for jmx-manager-user and jmx-manager-password settings. Check if authentication is disabled via jmx-manager-authentication-enabled=false or if the property is missing.
    Affected if JMX authentication is disabled or uses default/weak credentials, combined with network exposure.

You are affected if your GemFire version is within the vulnerable ranges AND the JMX service is enabled and network-accessible without proper restrictions.

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 1.8.2 / 1.9.2 / 1.10.1 or later
Fixed in 1.8.21.9.21.10.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to GemFire 9.10.0, 9.9.1, 9.8.5, or 9.7.5 (or respective Tanzu versions), or restrict JMX service network accessibility via firewall/network segmentation.

Recommended fix High confidence

GemFire: 9.10.0 (or 9.9.1/9.8.5/9.7.5 minimum); Tanzu GemFire for VMs: 1.11.0 (or 1.10.1/1.9.2/1.8.2 minimum)

  1. 1. Identify which GemFire or Tanzu GemFire for VMs version is currently deployed
  2. 2. For GemFire deployments: upgrade to version 9.10.0 or later, OR version 9.9.1 or later, OR version 9.8.5 or later, OR version 9.7.5 or later
  3. 3. For Tanzu GemFire for VMs deployments: upgrade to version 1.11.0 or later, OR version 1.10.1 or later, OR version 1.9.2 or later, OR version 1.8.2 or later
  4. 4. After upgrade, verify the JMX service is functioning normally
  5. 5. Test that the application functionality dependent on GemFire continues to work as expected
Caveat Minor - these are patch releases addressing security vulnerabilities; ensure compatibility with your existing applications

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

Fix this in Gemfire Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
30.0 hours of engineering $5,280
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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-2019-11286 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data