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Couchbase ServerApplication · Couchbase

CVE-2022-42951

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-02-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.6.6 / 7.0.5 or later.
See remediation →
90/100
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
An issue was discovered in Couchbase Server 6.5.x and 6.6.x before 6.6.6, 7.x before 7.0.5, and 7.1.x before 7.1.2. During the start-up of a Couchbase Server node, there is a small window of time (before the cluster management authentication has started) where an attacker can connect to the cluster manager using default credentials.

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

During Couchbase Server node startup, before cluster management authentication initializes, there is a brief window where an attacker can connect to the cluster manager using default credentials. This is a time-of-check-to-time-of-use (TOCTOU) style vulnerability affecting the startup sequence.

MitigationUpgrade to patched versions (6.6.6, 7.0.5, 7.1.2 or later). Implement network segmentation to limit exposure to the node during the startup window as an interim control.

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
Couchbase ServerApplication
Affected:>= 6.5.0, < 6.6.6>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.5>= 7.1.0, < 7.1.2

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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/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. Determine installed Couchbase Server version
    Run 'couchbase-server -version' or check the version via the web admin console at port 8091, or query the installed package via system package manager
    Affected if The installed version falls within 6.5.0 to 6.6.5, 7.0.0 to 7.0.4, or 7.1.0 to 7.1.1 (any version listed as vulnerable in the CVE)
  2. Identify cluster manager listen addresses
    Review Couchbase configuration files (typically in /opt/couchbase/var/lib/couchbase/config/) or check the network binding settings in the web admin console under Settings > General > Cluster Manager
    Affected if The cluster manager is bound to 0.0.0.0 or an IP accessible from untrusted networks rather than localhost or an internal-only interface
  3. Verify network exposure of management ports
    Run 'netstat -tlnp | grep -E "8091|18091"' or 'ss -tlnp | grep -E "8091|18091"' on the Couchbase node to identify listening ports, then check if firewall rules allow external access to ports 8091 (HTTP) and 18091 (HTTPS)
    Affected if Ports 8091/18091 are listening on an external interface and accessible from networks outside the trusted administrative zone
  4. Review firewall and security group rules
    Examine host-based firewall rules (iptables, firewalld) and cloud security group configurations to determine if inbound access to the management ports is permitted from untrusted sources

A system is affected if it runs a vulnerable Couchbase Server version (6.5.0-6.6.5, 7.0.0-7.0.4, or 7.1.0-7.1.1) AND has its cluster management interface accessible from untrusted networks during the startup window.

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 6.6.6 / 7.0.5 / 7.1.2 or later
Fixed in 6.6.67.0.57.1.2
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to patched versions (6.6.6, 7.0.5, 7.1.2 or later). Implement network segmentation to limit exposure to the node during the startup window as an interim control.

Recommended fix High confidence

6.6.6 (for 6.5.x/6.6.x), 7.0.5 (for 7.0.x), or 7.1.2+ (for 7.1.x)

  1. Review the Couchbase Server upgrade documentation at docs.couchbase.com for your current major version
  2. Ensure you have a complete backup of your Couchbase cluster before upgrading
  3. Create a test environment to validate the upgrade in a non-production setting
  4. Stop the Couchbase services on each node in an orderly manner
  5. Upgrade Couchbase Server to version 6.6.6 (for 6.5.x/6.6.x users), 7.0.5 (for 7.0.x users), or 7.1.2 or later (for 7.1.x users)
  6. After upgrading, verify that the cluster management authentication is properly enforced during node startup
  7. Test cluster functionality and confirm all applications can connect successfully
  8. Monitor logs to confirm no authentication anomalies occur during node restarts
Caveat Check Couchbase release notes for breaking changes between your current version and target version; major version upgrades may require application code changes

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

Fix this in Couchbase Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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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-2022-42951 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