CVE-2019-18901
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 UNIX Symbolic Link (Symlink) Following vulnerability in the mysql-systemd-helper of the mariadb packaging of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 allows local attackers to change the permissions of arbitrary files to 0640. This issue affects: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 mariadb versions prior to 10.2.31-3.25.1. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 mariadb versions prior to 10.2.31-3.26.1.
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 confidenceA symlink following vulnerability in the mysql-systemd-helper script of MariaDB packages on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 and 15 allows local attackers to change permissions of arbitrary files to 0640, potentially exposing sensitive data. The flaw exists in versions prior to 10.2.31-3.25.1 (SLES12) and 10.2.31-3.26.1 (SLES15).
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= 15.1= 12= 15CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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 if MariaDB is installedRun 'rpm -qa | grep -i maria' or 'dpkg -l | grep -i maria' to list installed MariaDB packagesAffected if No MariaDB packages found means not affected by this CVE
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Identify the installed MariaDB versionRun 'rpm -q mariadb' or check the package details to get the exact version number (e.g., 10.2.31-3.XX.X)Affected if Version is prior to 10.2.31-3.25.1 on SLES12 or prior to 10.2.31-3.26.1 on SLES15, or if version cannot be determined but MariaDB is installed on Opensuse Leap 15.1
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Locate the mysql-systemd-helper scriptRun 'find /usr -name mysql-systemd-helper 2>/dev/null' to find the script pathAffected if Script exists and its package version is below the fixed releases
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Verify the package release versionRun 'rpm -q -f /usr/bin/mysql-systemd-helper' or 'rpm -qi mariadb-server' to get the full package release version including the SLES-specific patch number (e.g., 3.25.1 vs 3.24.x)Affected if The release number after the dash is lower than 3.25.1 (SLES12) or 3.26.1 (SLES15)
You are affected if MariaDB is installed on SLES 12, SLES 15, or Opensuse Leap 15.1 with a version earlier than 10.2.31-3.25.1 (SLES12) or 10.2.31-3.26.1 (SLES15/Opensuse Leap 15.1).
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 dataUpgrade MariaDB packages to version 10.2.31-3.25.1 or later for SLES12, and 10.2.31-3.26.1 or later for SLES15 to patch the vulnerable mysql-systemd-helper script.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-18901 — 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-2019-18901 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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