Vulnerability · CVE-2017-12635
Apache CouchDB Improper Privilege Management
Published Nov 17, 2023 · catalog updated Nov 17, 2023 · Apache CouchDB
Patch now
CVE-2017-12635 is in the CISA known-exploited catalog. Confirm Apache CouchDB against the vendor advisory and apply that fix. The CVSS score does not change the priority.
Gaps on this record
- No version range is stored. A customer cannot check an installed version against this record.
- Severity
- Unknown—
- Known exploitation
- CISA KEV and VulnCheck KEV
- EPSS
- 99.84%
- Remediation
- Remediation guidance
- Affected products
- vendor Apache CouchDB
Due to differences in the Erlang-based JSON parser and JavaScript-based JSON parser, it is possible in Apache CouchDB before 1.7.0 and 2.x before 2.1.1 to submit _users documents with duplicate keys for 'roles' used for access control within the database, including the special case '_admin' role, that denotes administrative users. In combination with CVE-2017-12636 (Remote Code Execution), this can be used to give non-admin users access to arbitrary shell commands on the server as the database system user. The JSON parser differences result in behaviour that if two 'roles' keys are available i Initial-access exploit intelligence.
Are you affected?
Enter the version you run. The result uses only the ranges stored on this record.
The check returns affected, not affected, or incomplete. It does not guess a version that is missing from the record.
- vendor Apache CouchDBversion unspecified
How to fix CVE-2017-12635
Recommended remediation
Apply remediations or mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if remediation or mitigations are unavailable.
Official advisories
What to do
Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.
Should you patch?
CVE-2017-12635 is in the CISA known-exploited catalog. Confirm Apache CouchDB against the vendor advisory and apply that fix. The CVSS score does not change the priority.
Which versions are affected?
Affected version ranges are not on this record. Apply remediations or mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if remediation or mitigations are unavailable.
What should an analyst verify?
No weakness class is stored. EPSS 99.84%. The CISA KEV listing is the exploitation evidence. No Exploit-DB or Metasploit reference is linked. Use the source links for the original advisory.
Code
The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.
No public source repository is identified for this product.
Timeline
Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.
Nov 17, 2023 · VulnCheck KEV
Detected
Due to differences in the Erlang-based JSON parser and JavaScript-based JSON parser, it is possible in Apache CouchDB before 1.7.0 and 2.x before 2.1.1 to submit _users documents with duplicate keys for 'roles' used for access control within the database, including the special case '_admin' role, that denotes administrative users. In combination with CVE-2017-12636 (Remote Code Execution), this ca
Nov 17, 2023 · CISA KEV
Known exploited
Apply remediations or mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if remediation or mitigations are unavailable.
Sources
- CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2017-12635
Official CVE identifier
cve.org - FIRST EPSSExploitation probabilityCVE-2017-12635
30-day exploitation probability 99.8%
first.org - VulnCheck KEVConfirmed exploitationCVE-2017-12635
Due to differences in the Erlang-based JSON parser and JavaScript-based JSON parser, it is possible in Apache CouchDB before 1.7.0 and 2.x before 2.1.1 to submit _users documents with duplicate keys for 'roles' used for access control within the database, including the special ca
vulncheck.com
References
- VulnCheck exploitation evidence · dashboard.shadowserver.org
- VulnCheck exploitation evidence · dashboard.shadowserver.org
- VulnCheck exploitation evidence · dashboard.shadowserver.org
- VulnCheck exploitation evidence · dashboard.shadowserver.org
- VulnCheck exploitation evidence · dashboard.shadowserver.org
- VulnCheck exploitation evidence · dashboard.shadowserver.org
Freshness
Last verified in this catalog Oct 18, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.