CVE-2018-12551
8.1 · HIGHOverview
CVE-2018-12551 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting eclipse mosquitto. It was published on March 27, 2019 and has a CVSS 3.0 base score of 8.1 (HIGH).
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.0 base score of 8.1, rated HIGH. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
Technical Description
When Eclipse Mosquitto version 1.0 to 1.5.5 (inclusive) is configured to use a password file for authentication, any malformed data in the password file will be treated as valid. This typically means that the malformed data becomes a username and no password. If this occurs, clients can circumvent authentication and get access to the broker by using the malformed username. In particular, a blank line will be treated as a valid empty username. Other security measures are unaffected. Users who have only used the mosquitto_passwd utility to create and modify their password files are unaffected by this vulnerability.
Remediation
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from eclipse. Update mosquitto to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
Affected Products
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| eclipse | mosquitto | 1.0 | Affected |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2018-12551?
CVE-2018-12551 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting eclipse mosquitto. It was published on March 27, 2019 and has a CVSS 3.0 base score of 8.1 (HIGH).
How severe is CVE-2018-12551?
This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.0 base score of 8.1, rated HIGH. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.
How do I fix or remediate CVE-2018-12551?
Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from eclipse. Update mosquitto to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.
How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2018-12551?
CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2018-12551 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.
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