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CouchdbApplication · Apache

CVE-2020-1955

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-05-20
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
CouchDB version 3.0.0 shipped with a new configuration setting that governs access control to the entire database server called `require_valid_user_except_for_up`. It was meant as an extension to the long standing setting `require_valid_user`, which in turn requires that any and all requests to CouchDB will have to be made with valid credentials, effectively forbidding any anonymous requests. The new `require_valid_user_except_for_up` is an off-by-default setting that was meant to allow requiring valid credentials for all endpoints except for the `/_up` endpoint. However, the implementation of this made an error that lead to not enforcing credentials on any endpoint, when enabled. CouchDB versions 3.0.1[1] and 3.1.0[2] fix this issue.

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

CouchDB 3.0.0 contains a critical authentication bypass vulnerability in the `require_valid_user_except_for_up` configuration setting. When enabled, this setting was intended to require valid credentials for all endpoints except the health check endpoint /_up, but a implementation error causes authentication to be disabled entirely for ALL endpoints, exposing the entire database server to anonymous access.

MitigationUpgrade CouchDB to version 3.0.1, 3.1.0, or later. Until upgraded, ensure `require_valid_user_except_for_up` is not enabled in the configuration.

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
CouchdbApplication
Affected:= 3.0.0

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. Identify CouchDB version
    Send a GET request to the CouchDB root endpoint: curl http://localhost:5984/. Look for the 'version' field in the JSON response.
    Affected if The version field reports exactly 3.0.0
  2. Locate the CouchDB configuration file
    Check the local.ini or default.ini configuration file in the CouchDB etc directory, typically at /opt/couchdb/etc/local.ini or /etc/couchdb/local.ini. Alternatively, query the _config endpoint via curl http://localhost:5984/_config/
    Affected if The configuration file exists and contains the [couch_httpd_auth] section
  3. Check for vulnerable configuration setting
    Inspect the [couch_httpd_auth] section in the configuration file or via the _config endpoint. Look specifically for: require_valid_user_except_for_up = true
    Affected if The setting require_valid_user_except_for_up is present and set to true (or any truthy value)
  4. Verify authentication bypass is active
    Attempt an unauthenticated request to a protected endpoint such as curl http://localhost:5984/_all_dbs or curl http://localhost:5984/_users/_all_docs
    Affected if The request returns a successful response with data rather than a 401 Unauthorized or 401 Basic auth challenge

A user is affected if running CouchDB version 3.0.0 AND the require_valid_user_except_for_up configuration option is enabled, which allows unauthenticated access to all endpoints.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade CouchDB to version 3.0.1, 3.1.0, or later. Until upgraded, ensure `require_valid_user_except_for_up` is not enabled in the configuration.

Recommended fix High confidence

3.0.1 or 3.1.0 (or latest stable 3.x release)

  1. 1. Stop the CouchDB 3.0.0 service
  2. 2. Backup your CouchDB data directory (typically /opt/couchdb/data or /var/lib/couchdb)
  3. 3. Backup your CouchDB configuration files (local.ini, etc.)
  4. 4. Upgrade CouchDB from version 3.0.0 to version 3.0.1 or 3.1.0 using your package manager or build from source
  5. 5. Start the CouchDB service
  6. 6. Verify the `require_valid_user_except_for_up` setting now works correctly by testing authentication on endpoints
Caveat Review release notes for 3.0.1 and 3.1.0 for any configuration or API changes; test in non-production first

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

Fix this in Couchdb Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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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-2020-1955 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