dbcve.org
Crux Linux Docker ImageApplication · Docker

CVE-2020-29389

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-12-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 3.4 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
The official Crux Linux Docker images 3.0 through 3.4 contain a blank password for a root user. System using the Crux Linux Docker container deployed by affected versions of the Docker image may allow an attacker to achieve root access with a blank password.

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

The Crux Linux Docker images versions 3.0 through 3.4 ship with the root user configured without a password, allowing any attacker with network access to the container to authenticate as root without credentials and gain full system control.

MitigationUpdate to a patched version of the Crux Linux Docker image that includes a strong root password or key-based authentication. If immediate patching is not possible, recreate the container with a root password set or disable root login.

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
Crux Linux Docker ImageApplication
Affected:>= 3.0, <= 3.4

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 the Docker image in use
    Run 'docker images' or 'docker inspect <container_id>' to identify the base image name and confirm it is Crux Linux
    Affected if The image name contains 'crux' or 'crux-linux' in the repository field
  2. Check the Crux Linux image version
    Run 'docker images' and look at the TAG column, or use 'docker inspect <image_id>' to retrieve image labels/tags. Compare the version to the affected range 3.0 through 3.4
    Affected if The image version/tag is 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, or 3.4
  3. Verify root user password status
    Inspect the /etc/shadow file inside the container (via 'docker exec <container> cat /etc/shadow' or by extracting the image layer) and check if the root entry contains an empty password field (starts with :: or :*:)
    Affected if The root user entry in /etc/shadow shows an empty or locked password, indicating no password is required for root login

A user is affected if they are running a Crux Linux Docker image with version 3.0-3.4 where the root account has no password set, allowing unauthenticated root access.

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 a release after 3.4
Interim mitigation

Update to a patched version of the Crux Linux Docker image that includes a strong root password or key-based authentication. If immediate patching is not possible, recreate the container with a root password set or disable root login.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Crux Linux Docker image version > 3.4 (e.g., 3.5 or later)

  1. Verify the currently running Crux Linux Docker image version using 'docker images' or inspecting the container metadata
  2. Pull the latest Crux Linux Docker image from the official registry (docker pull cruxlinux or equivalent)
  3. Stop and remove the affected container: 'docker stop <container_id>' and 'docker rm <container_id>'
  4. Pull a fixed version of the image (version newer than 3.4)
  5. Deploy a new container using the upgraded image: 'docker run <image>'
  6. Verify the root user now requires authentication by attempting to access the container and confirming a password is required
Caveat Standard container redeployment considerations apply - ensure data persistence is handled via volumes and application configuration is preserved

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

Fix this in Crux Linux Docker Image 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-2020-29389 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