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Notary Docker ImageApplication · Docker

CVE-2020-29601

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-12-08
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
The official notary docker images before signer-0.6.1-1 contain a blank password for a root user. System using the notary docker container deployed by affected versions of the docker image may allow an 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 confidence

The official notary Docker images prior to version signer-0.6.1-1 ship with a blank password configured for the root user. An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit this by directly authenticating as root using an empty password, gaining full administrative control over the container and potentially the host system due to Docker container privileges.

MitigationUpgrade the notary Docker image to signer-0.6.1-1 or later which contains a properly configured root password, and rotate any credentials that may have been exposed.

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
Notary Docker ImageApplication
Affected:< signer-0.6.1-1

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:3.1/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 if notary Docker image is in use
    Run 'docker images' or 'docker ps -a' to list all Docker images or containers. Look for images containing 'notary' or 'signer' in the repository or tag name.
    Affected if A notary signer Docker image is present in the environment
  2. Determine the notary image version
    Run 'docker images' to view image tags, or use 'docker inspect <container_id>' to retrieve the image manifest and version information. Check the image tag against the affected version range.
    Affected if The notary signer image version is earlier than signer-0.6.1-1
  3. Inspect root user password configuration
    If the container is running, exec into it with 'docker exec -it <container> /bin/sh' and check the root password entry in /etc/shadow, or examine any configuration files that set the root password during container startup.
    Affected if The root user has no password set or is configured with a blank/empty password
  4. Check for exposed remote access services
    Examine which network services the container exposes. Check running processes inside the container with 'docker exec <container> ps aux' to identify services like SSH, or review port mappings with 'docker port <container>'.
    Affected if The container exposes a remote authentication service (such as SSH) that accepts root login

Environment is affected if the notary Docker image version is below signer-0.6.1-1 and the root user is configured with a blank password accessible through an exposed authentication service.

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 the notary Docker image to signer-0.6.1-1 or later which contains a properly configured root password, and rotate any credentials that may have been exposed.

Recommended fix High confidence

signer-0.6.1-1

  1. Pull the fixed Notary Docker image with tag signer-0.6.1-1 or later: docker pull notary/signer:signer-0.6.1-1
  2. Stop the currently running affected Notary container: docker stop <container_name>
  3. Remove the affected container: docker rm <container_name>
  4. Deploy a new container using the fixed image: docker run -d --name <new_container_name> notary/signer:signer-0.6.1-1
  5. Verify the container is running with the fixed image: docker ps | grep notary
  6. Ensure the root password has been changed or is properly configured in the new deployment

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

Fix this in Notary Docker Image Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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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-2020-29601 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