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Sonarqube Docker ImageApplication · Sonarsource

CVE-2020-35193

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-12-16
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 sonarqube docker images before alpine (Alpine specific) contain a blank password for a root user. System using the sonarqube 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 confidence

The official SonarQube Docker images based on Alpine Linux contain a root user with a blank/empty password. A remote attacker can directly authenticate to the container as root without any credentials, achieving full root access to the SonarQube instance and potentially the underlying host.

MitigationImmediately update to a patched version of the official SonarQube Docker image. Review and enforce strong authentication for all users, and consider network segmentation to limit exposure of the SonarQube service.

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
Sonarqube Docker ImageApplication
Affected:= 4.5.7= 5.5= 5.6= 5.6.1= 5.6.2= 5.6.3= 5.6.4= 5.6.5= 5.6.7= 6.0= 6.1= 6.2

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 SonarQube Docker image version
    Run 'docker images' or 'docker inspect <container_id>' to find the exact SonarQube image tag and version pulled
    Affected if Image version matches any of: 4.5.7, 5.5, 5.6, 5.6.1, 5.6.2, 5.6.3, 5.6.4, 5.6.5, 5.6.7, 6.0, 6.1, 6.2
  2. Confirm Alpine Linux base image
    Run 'docker inspect <container_id>' and check the 'Os' field or inspect /etc/os-release inside the container
    Affected if Base image is Alpine Linux
  3. Test root SSH access with blank password
    Attempt to SSH or use 'docker exec' to access the container as root with no password, or check /etc/shadow inside the container for root account with empty password field
    Affected if Root user can be accessed without any password
  4. Check if SonarQube container is network exposed
    Review Docker port mappings with 'docker ps -p' and check firewall rules or cloud security groups allowing external access to SonarQube ports (typically 9000)
    Affected if Container ports are exposed to untrusted networks or the internet

You are affected if you are running any of the listed SonarQube Docker image versions with an Alpine base and the root user has an empty password accessible from the network.

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

Immediately update to a patched version of the official SonarQube Docker image. Review and enforce strong authentication for all users, and consider network segmentation to limit exposure of the SonarQube service.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to a recent stable SonarQube Docker image (e.g., 7.x, 8.x, or 9.x LTS). The fixed versions are any release after 5.6.1 that include the Alpine image security fix. Consult Docker Hub for the latest stable tag.

  1. 1. Identify the currently deployed SonarQube Docker image version using 'docker images' command
  2. 2. Stop any running SonarQube containers to prevent data inconsistency during upgrade
  3. 3. Backup the SonarQube data directory (usually the volume mounted for sonarqube_data) to preserve analysis data and settings
  4. 4. Remove the affected SonarQube container: 'docker rm -f <container_id>'
  5. 5. Pull a newer, fixed SonarQube Docker image. Use the latest stable LTS or current version from Docker Hub (e.g., sonarqube:latest or a specific 7.x/8.x/9.x tag)
  6. 6. Create and start a new container using the upgraded image, re-attaching the backed-up data volume
  7. 7. Verify the new container is running: 'docker ps'
  8. 8. Test authentication by logging into SonarQube with the admin credentials to confirm the root account now requires a password
Caveat Minor: If upgrading across major versions (e.g., 5.x to 9.x), review the SonarQube migration notes for database compatibility and plugin requirements. The upgrade may require a migration path through intermediate versions.

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

Fix this in Sonarqube Docker Image Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2020-35193 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