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DockerApplication

CVE-2019-14271

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-07-29
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 19.03.1 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
In Docker 19.03.x before 19.03.1 linked against the GNU C Library (aka glibc), code injection can occur when the nsswitch facility dynamically loads a library inside a chroot that contains the contents of the container.

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 · moderate confidence

In Docker 19.03.x before 19.03.1 linked against glibc, the nsswitch facility dynamically loads libraries from within the container's chroot environment. An attacker who can control or place libraries in the chroot can achieve code injection, potentially enabling container escape.

MitigationUpgrade Docker to version 19.03.1 or later to address the glibc nsswitch library loading vulnerability in container environments.

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
DockerApplication
Affected:>= 19.03, < 19.03.1
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 10.0
LeapOperating system
Affected:= 15.0= 15.1

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
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 Docker version on the host
    Run `docker --version` or `dockerd --version` to determine the installed Docker version
    Affected if Docker version is 19.03.0 (the specific version before 19.03.1) or any 19.03.x version prior to 19.03.1 patch release
  2. Identify running containers with chroot environments
    Run `docker ps` to list active containers, then inspect individual containers with `docker inspect <container_id>` to check for custom chroot or user namespace configurations
    Affected if Containers are running with custom chroot configurations or user namespaces that allow library injection into the container's filesystem
  3. Examine nsswitch.conf for dynamic library loading
    Check the nsswitch.conf file inside affected containers (typically at /etc/nsswitch.conf) for service entries that trigger dynamic library loading, such as `passwd`, `group`, or `hosts` entries
    Affected if The container's nsswitch.conf references dynamic libraries that could be loaded from the chroot environment rather than the host system
  4. Verify glibc linkage of Docker daemon
    Check if the Docker daemon is linked against glibc by running `ldd $(which dockerd)` or examining the Docker binary dependencies
    Affected if Docker is linked against glibc, which enables the vulnerable nsswitch library loading behavior
  5. Inspect for library placement in container filesystems
    Review container filesystems for any world-writable directories (particularly /lib, /lib64, /usr/lib) where an attacker could place malicious shared objects
    Affected if Containers have writable directories within their chroot that could be used to inject malicious libraries for nsswitch to load

You are affected if running Docker 19.03.0 and containers with chroot environments have writable library directories or nsswitch configurations that allow dynamic library injection from the container filesystem.

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 19.03.1 or later
Fixed in 19.03.1
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Docker to version 19.03.1 or later to address the glibc nsswitch library loading vulnerability in container environments.

Recommended fix High confidence

Docker 19.03.1 or later (or the current stable release)

  1. Check current Docker version: docker --version
  2. Stop Docker service: sudo systemctl stop docker
  3. Upgrade Docker to version 19.03.1 or later using your package manager (e.g., apt-get, yum, or dnf)
  4. For Debian 10.0: Run sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade docker.io
  5. For openSUSE Leap: Run sudo zypper update docker
  6. Start Docker service: sudo systemctl start docker
  7. Verify the upgrade: docker --version
Caveat Review Docker release notes for any breaking changes between your current version and 19.03.1; ensure container configurations and orchestration tools are compatible

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

Fix this in Docker Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,328.

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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-2019-14271 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