# CVE-2019-16919: Missing authorization in n/a

> Project administrators can create robot accounts with unauthorized access to other projects due to missing API permission checks.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/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:** No
- **Published:** 18 Oct 2019
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-gm4w-75rj-3wr6, GHSA-x2r2-w9c7-h624

## What is CVE-2019-16919?

CVE-2019-16919 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Vmware Cloud Foundation, published on 18 Oct 2019. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Harbor API has a Broken Access Control vulnerability. The vulnerability allows project administrators to use the Harbor API to create a robot account with unauthorized push and/or pull access permissions to a project they don't have access or control for. The Harbor API did not enforce the proper project permissions and project scope on the API request to create a new robot account.

Weakness: CWE-276 (Incorrect Default Permissions)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-16919?

It affects 3 products.


Products: Linuxfoundation Harbor, Vmware Cloud Foundation, Vmware Harbor Container Registry.

## How do I fix CVE-2019-16919?

No fix has been published for CVE-2019-16919 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2019-16919 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-16919 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Vmware Cloud Foundation

- [CVE-2026-4404](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-4404/): Use of hard coded credentials in GoHarbor Harbor (critical 9.4)
- [CVE-2019-19023](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-19023/): Privilege Escalation in Cloud Native Computing Foundation Harbor (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2019-19025](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-19025/): Cross-site Request Forgery (CSRF) in Cloud Native Computing Foundation Harbor (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2017-17697](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-17697/): Server-side request forgery in n/a (high 8.6)
- [CVE-2022-31666](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-31666/): Harbor fails to validate user permissions while Viewing, updating and deleting Webhook policies (high 7.7)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2019-16919 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2019-16919 is a high-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Vmware Cloud Foundation, published on 18 Oct 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-2019-16919 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Vmware Cloud Foundation. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

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-2019-16919/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-16919/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-16919
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-16919
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2019-16919

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-16919/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.