# CVE-2019-12291: HashiCorp Consul Incorrect Access Control vulnerability

> Attackers with specific ACL tokens can delete keys outside their permitted prefix scope in HashiCorp Consul, violating access control policies.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 6 Jun 2019
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2019-12291, GHSA-h65h-v7fw-4p38, GO-2023-1852, UBUNTU-CVE-2019-12291

## What is CVE-2019-12291?

CVE-2019-12291 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in n/a, published on 6 Jun 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

HashiCorp Consul 1.4.0 through 1.5.0 has Incorrect Access Control. Keys not matching a specific ACL rule used for prefix matching in a policy can be deleted by a token using that policy even with default deny settings configured.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-12291?

3 open source packages ship an affected version, including github.com/hashicorp/consul. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `github.com/hashicorp/consul` | Go | From 1.4.0 | 1.5.1 |
| `github.com/hashicorp/consul` | Go | From 1.4.0 | 1.5.1 |
| `github.com/hashicorp/consul` | Go | From 1.4.0 | 1.5.1 |

Products: Hashicorp Consul.

## How do I fix CVE-2019-12291?

Upgrade github.com/hashicorp/consul to 1.5.1 or later.

## Is CVE-2019-12291 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-12291 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2021-41805](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-41805/): Privilege escalation in n/a (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2021-37219](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2021-37219/): HashiCorp Consul Privilege Escalation Vulnerability (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2023-2816](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-2816/): Consul Envoy Extension Downsteam Proxy Configuration By Upstream Service Owner (high 8.7)
- [CVE-2024-10006](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-10006/): Consul L7 Intentions Vulnerable To Headers Bypass (high 8.3)
- [CVE-2024-10005](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-10005/): Consul L7 Intentions Vulnerable To URL Path Bypass (high 8.1)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2019-12291 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2019-12291 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in n/a, published on 6 Jun 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-12291 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- github.com/hashicorp/consul (Go): affected from 1.4.0; fixed in 1.5.1
- github.com/hashicorp/consul (Go): affected from 1.4.0; fixed in 1.5.1
- github.com/hashicorp/consul (Go): affected from 1.4.0; fixed in 1.5.1

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-12291/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-12291/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-12291
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-12291
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2019-12291

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-12291/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.