dbcve.org
Intellij IdeaApplication · Jetbrains

CVE-2019-9186

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-07-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2018.1.8 / 2018.2.8 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 several JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA versions, a Spring Boot run configuration with the default setting allowed remote attackers to execute code when the configuration is running, because a JMX server listens on all interfaces (instead of listening on only the localhost interface). This issue has been fixed in the following versions: 2019.1, 2018.3.4, 2018.2.8, 2018.1.8, and 2017.3.7.

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

In vulnerable IntelliJ IDEA versions, Spring Boot run configurations start a JMX server that binds to all network interfaces (0.0.0.0) instead of localhost only. This exposes the JMX service externally, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by connecting to the exposed JMX port when the configuration is running.

MitigationUpgrade IntelliJ IDEA to version 2019.1 or later (or 2018.3.4, 2018.2.8, 2018.1.8, 2017.3.7 as appropriate). If upgrade is not possible, avoid running Spring Boot configurations with default JMX settings on networked 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
Intellij IdeaApplication
Affected:>= 2018.1, < 2018.1.8>= 2018.2, < 2018.2.8>= 2018.3, < 2018.3.5>= 2018.3.6, < 2019.1

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:3.0/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 IntelliJ IDEA version
    Open IntelliJ IDEA and go to Help > About (on Windows/Linux) or IntelliJ IDEA > About (on macOS). The version number is displayed in the dialog.
    Affected if The version is 2018.1.x where x is less than 8, OR 2018.2.x where x is less than 8, OR 2018.3.x where x is less than 5, OR 2018.3.6 through 2018.3.x, OR any version from 2019.1 versions earlier than 2019.1.
  2. Confirm Spring Boot run configuration is in use
    Look for a Run/Debug configuration in IntelliJ IDEA with type 'Spring Boot'. Check the Run > Edit Configurations menu and look for configurations with a Spring Boot icon.
    Affected if A Spring Boot run configuration exists and is configured to run.
  3. Inspect JMX binding behavior
    Start the Spring Boot application using the run configuration. While it is running, open a terminal and run 'netstat -an | grep <port>' (where <port> is the JMX port, typically 9090 or in the 9010-9019 range) or use 'ss -tlnp' to see listening ports. Check if the JMX port shows 0.0.0.0:<port> or :::<port> instead of 127.0.0.1:<port>.
    Affected if The JMX port is bound to 0.0.0.0 or ::: (all interfaces) rather than 127.0.0.1 or localhost only.

You are affected if your IntelliJ IDEA version falls within the affected ranges AND you use Spring Boot run configurations where the JMX port binds to all network interfaces instead of localhost only.

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 2018.1.8 / 2018.2.8 / 2018.3.5 or later
Fixed in 2018.1.82018.2.82018.3.5
Interim mitigation

Upgrade IntelliJ IDEA to version 2019.1 or later (or 2018.3.4, 2018.2.8, 2018.1.8, 2017.3.7 as appropriate). If upgrade is not possible, avoid running Spring Boot configurations with default JMX settings on networked environments.

Recommended fix High confidence

IntelliJ IDEA 2019.1 (or 2018.3.4, 2018.2.8, 2018.1.8 as intermediate fixes)

  1. 1. Check your current IntelliJ IDEA version by navigating to Help > About
  2. 2. If running an affected version (2018.1.x before 2018.1.8, 2018.2.x before 2018.2.8, 2018.3.x before 2018.3.4, or 2018.3.6-2018.3.x before 2019.1), download the appropriate fixed version
  3. 3. Download IntelliJ IDEA 2019.1 or later from jetbrains.com/idea/download
  4. 4. Install the new version, or use the JetBrains Toolbox app to update
  5. 5. After upgrading, verify the fix by going to Run > Edit Configurations and confirming Spring Boot run configurations no longer expose JMX on all interfaces by default
Caveat Major version upgrades may introduce UI changes or require reconfiguration of existing project settings

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

Fix this in Intellij Idea Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
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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-2019-9186 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data