CVE-2019-11496
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 · uneditedIn versions of Couchbase Server prior to 5.0, the bucket named "default" was a special bucket that allowed read and write access without authentication. As part of 5.0, the behavior of all buckets including "default" were changed to only allow access by authenticated users with sufficient authorization. However, users were allowed unauthenticated and unauthorized access to the "default" bucket if the properties of this bucket were edited. This has been fixed in versions 5.1.0 and 5.5.0.
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 confidenceIn Couchbase Server versions prior to 5.0, the 'default' bucket allowed unauthenticated read/write access. While version 5.0 changed this to require authentication, editing the 'default' bucket's properties could bypass authentication entirely, allowing unauthenticated and unauthorized access to all data in that bucket.
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<= 5.0.0CVSS 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
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
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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Check Couchbase Server versionDetermine the installed Couchbase Server version using the web admin console, command-line tools, or server logs. Common methods include using 'couchbase-cli' or accessing the /pools/default endpoint via the management API.Affected if The installed version is 5.0.0 or any earlier version (e.g., 4.x series).
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Verify if default bucket existsCheck whether a bucket named 'default' exists in the Couchbase Server installation. This can be done through the web admin console under the 'Buckets' tab, or via the Couchbase CLI or management API.Affected if A bucket named 'default' is present in the configuration.
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Determine if default bucket was editedReview bucket configuration history or audit logs to determine whether the 'default' bucket properties have been modified after initial setup. Check for any changes to the bucket's authentication settings.Affected if The 'default' bucket properties were edited after installation, particularly changes to authentication or access settings.
The environment is affected if Couchbase Server version is 5.0.0 or earlier and the 'default' bucket exists with any configuration modifications that may have altered its authentication requirements.
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.
dbcve · scopedUpgrade to Couchbase Server 5.1.0, 5.5.0, or later. Avoid editing the 'default' bucket properties in unpatched versions.
5.5.0 (or latest stable release)
- Upgrade Couchbase Server to version 5.1.0 or later (version 5.5.0 is recommended)
- After upgrading, verify that the 'default' bucket requires authentication for access
- Test applications to ensure they authenticate properly when connecting to any bucket
- Confirm that unauthenticated access to the 'default' bucket is no longer possible after editing bucket properties
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 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 $3,408.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-11496 — 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-2019-11496 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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