CVE-2018-19653: Github.com/hashicorp/consul HashiCorp Consul Can Use Cleartext Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-4qvx-qq5w-695p
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CVSS 5.9
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-19653 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.9) hashicorp consul can use cleartext vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Github.com/hashicorp/consul libraries in the Go ecosystem. The issue involves hashicorp consul can use cleartext agent-to-agent rpc communication. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.4.1.

CVE-2018-19653 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-19653
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4qvx-qq5w-695p
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.9
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
Affected Product Github.com/hashicorp/consul
Package Ecosystem Go
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.9

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2018-19653

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Github.com/hashicorp/consul dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

github.com/hashicorp/consul fixed: 1.4.1 
Upgrade github.com/hashicorp/consul to 1.4.1
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

inspect dependencies for github.com/hashicorp/consul

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2018-19653, inspect your project dependencies for Github.com/hashicorp/consul:

inspect dependencies for github.com/hashicorp/consul

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Github.com/hashicorp/consul in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.4.1), your application is affected.

Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under General Security Weakness. In Github.com/hashicorp/consul, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

HashiCorp Consul 0.5.1 through 1.4.0 can use cleartext agent-to-agent RPC communication because the `verify_outgoing` setting is improperly documented. NOTE: the vendor has provided reconfiguration steps that do not require a software upgrade.

CVE-2018-19653 Affected Github.com/hashicorp/consul Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.4.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
github.com/hashicorp/consul
golang/github.com/hashicorp/consul
Go
≥ 0.5.1
< 1.4.1
1.4.1

References

NVD — CVE-2018-19653 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-19653
Github.com/hashicorp/consul Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/hashicorp/consul/pull/5069
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/hashicorp/consul/commit/b64e8b262f80397eab4f39c6ae7e14683cb9f55c
Github.com/hashicorp/consul Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/hashicorp/consul
groups.google.com/forum/ WEB
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/consul-tool/7TCw06oio0I

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-19653?
CVE-2018-19653 is a security vulnerability in Github.com/hashicorp/consul involving HashiCorp Consul can use cleartext agent-to-agent RPC communication under General Security Weakness.
Which Github.com/hashicorp/consul versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.4.1 across affected packages: github.com/hashicorp/consul.
What version fixes CVE-2018-19653?
Upgrading to 1.4.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is github.com/hashicorp/consul affected?
Yes, github.com/hashicorp/consul is affected in releases prior to 1.4.1. Upgrade your dependency to 1.4.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-19653?
CVE-2018-19653 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.9 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-19653?
CVE-2018-19653 is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check Go dependencies for CVE-2018-19653?
Run the dependency tree command: 'inspect dependencies for github.com/hashicorp/consul'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-4qvx-qq5w-695p",
  "modified" : "2023-06-09T23:24:03Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-14T01:36:20Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-19653" ],
  "summary" : "HashiCorp Consul can use cleartext agent-to-agent RPC communication",
  "details" : "HashiCorp Consul 0.5.1 through 1.4.0 can use cleartext agent-to-agent RPC communication because the `verify_outgoing` setting is improperly documented. NOTE: the vendor has provided reconfiguration steps that do not require a software upgrade.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Go",
      "name" : "github.com/hashicorp/consul"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0.5.1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.4.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-19653"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/hashicorp/consul/pull/5069"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/hashicorp/consul/commit/b64e8b262f80397eab4f39c6ae7e14683cb9f55c"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/hashicorp/consul"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/consul-tool/7TCw06oio0I"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-06-09T23:24:03Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-12-09T19:29:00Z"
  }
}