Elixir Alpine Docker ImageApplication · Docker
CVE-2020-29575
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 · uneditedThe official elixir Docker images before 1.8.0-alpine (Alpine specific) contain a blank password for a root user. Systems using the elixir Linux Docker container deployed by affected versions of the Docker image may allow a remote 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 confidenceThe official Elixir Docker Alpine Linux images prior to version 1.8.0 contain a misconfiguration that sets a blank (empty) password for the root user. This creates an authentication backdoor allowing remote attackers to gain root-level container access through any service accepting password authentication.
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
Elixir Alpine Docker ImageApplication
< 1.8.0CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Elixir Alpine image usage in DockerfilesSearch all Dockerfiles in your codebase for lines containing 'elixir' and 'alpine' (e.g., 'FROM elixir:alpine' or 'FROM hexpm/elixir:alpine')Affected if The image tag specifies a version lower than 1.8.0 (e.g., 1.7.0-alpine, 1.6.0-alpine, or any alpine tag without a version number pointing to a release before 1.8.0)
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Identify Elixir Alpine image usage in docker-compose filesSearch all docker-compose.yml files for elixir alpine image references and extract the tagAffected if The image tag shows a version lower than 1.8.0-alpine
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Identify Elixir Alpine image usage in Kubernetes manifestsSearch all Kubernetes YAML files (Deployments, Pods, StatefulSets) for container images using elixir alpineAffected if The image specification shows a version lower than 1.8.0-alpine
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Check running containers for vulnerable Elixir Alpine imagesRun 'docker ps --format "{{.Image}}"' to list all running container images, then filter for elixir alpine variantsAffected if Any running container shows an elixir alpine image with version tag below 1.8.0
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Verify root password configuration in the imageIf you have access to the container, inspect /etc/shadow for the root user entry; a blank password hash (e.g., root::) indicates the vulnerabilityAffected if The root user account has an empty password field in /etc/shadow
You are affected if any deployment in your environment uses an official Elixir Alpine Docker image with version tag lower than 1.8.0-alpine.
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.
dbcve · scoped1.8.0
Upgrade the Elixir Docker image to version 1.8.0-alpine or later in all deployment configurations (Dockerfiles, docker-compose files, Kubernetes manifests, CI/CD pipelines).
elixir:1.8.0-alpine or later
- Update your Docker Compose files, Kubernetes manifests, or container deployment configurations to specify the fixed image version
- Pull the patched image: docker pull elixir:1.8.0-alpine (or a later version such as 1.8.1-alpine, 1.9-alpine, etc.)
- Rebuild and redeploy all containers using the updated Elixir Alpine Docker image
- Verify the root user no longer has a blank password by inspecting the image or attempting authenticated access
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Elixir Alpine Docker Image
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-29575 — 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-2020-29575 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
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