MongoDBDatabase / datastore
CVE-2019-2390
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 · uneditedAn unprivileged user or program on Microsoft Windows which can create OpenSSL configuration files in a fixed location may cause utility programs shipped with MongoDB server to run attacker defined code as the user running the utility. This issue MongoDB Server v4.0 versions prior to 4.0.11; MongoDB Server v3.6 versions prior to 3.6.14 and MongoDB Server v3.4 prior to 3.4.22.
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 confidenceOn Microsoft Windows, unprivileged users can place malicious OpenSSL configuration files in a fixed location that MongoDB server utility programs read upon execution, causing arbitrary attacker-defined code to run with the privileges of the user launching the utility.
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
MongoDBDatabase / datastore
>= 3.4.0, < 3.4.22>= 3.6.0, < 3.6.14>= 4.0.0, < 4.0.11CVSS 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
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify operating system is WindowsConfirm the MongoDB server is running on a Windows host (this vulnerability only affects Windows systems)Affected if The target system is running Windows and MongoDB version falls within the affected ranges below
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Determine installed MongoDB versionRun 'mongod --version' or check the MongoDB service version using 'sc query mongodb' or via Windows Services appletAffected if Installed version is >= 3.4.0 and < 3.4.22, OR >= 3.6.0 and < 3.6.14, OR >= 4.0.0 and < 4.0.11
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Identify OpenSSL configuration file location used by MongoDB utilitiesOn Windows, MongoDB utilities may load OpenSSL configuration from the directory where the utility executable is located or from a fixed search path. Inspect directory permissions on the MongoDB bin directory.Affected if Unprivileged users have write permissions to the directory from which MongoDB utilities load OpenSSL configuration, allowing them to place a malicious openssl.cnf file
A user is affected if running MongoDB on Windows with a version in the ranges 3.4.0-3.4.21, 3.6.0-3.6.13, or 4.0.0-4.0.10, AND unprivileged users can write to the directory where MongoDB utilities look for OpenSSL configuration files.
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 data3.4.223.6.144.0.11
Upgrade MongoDB Server to v4.0.11+, v3.6.14+, or v3.4.22+ respectively, or restrict write permissions on the OpenSSL configuration directory to prevent unauthorized config file placement.
Fix this in MongoDB
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-2390 — 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-2019-2390 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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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.
- 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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