# CVE-2019-5638: Rapid7 Nexpose Insufficient Session Management

> Attackers can maintain unauthorized access after password changes because sessions do not expire, requiring administrators to patch Rapid7 Nexpose.

- **Severity:** High 8.7 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** A user has to click or open something
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 21 Aug 2019
- **Updated:** 16 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-8pp6-343g-mgj6

## What is CVE-2019-5638?

CVE-2019-5638 is a high-severity vulnerability in Rapid7 Nexpose, published on 21 Aug 2019. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.

### Official description

Rapid7 Nexpose versions 6.5.50 and prior suffer from insufficient session expiration when an administrator performs a security relevant edit on an existing, logged on user. For example, if a user's password is changed by an administrator due to an otherwise unrelated credential leak, that user account's current session is still valid after the password change, potentially allowing the attacker who originally compromised the credential to remain logged in and able to cause further damage.

Weakness: CWE-613 (DEPRECATED: Insufficient Session Expiration)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2019-5638?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Rapid7 Nexpose.

## How do I fix CVE-2019-5638?

No fix has been published for CVE-2019-5638 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2019-5638 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-5638 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Rapid7 Nexpose

- [CVE-2017-5264](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-5264/): Cross-site request forgery in Nexpose (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2017-5243](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-5243/): Weak cryptography in Nexpose hardware appliance (high 8.5)
- [CVE-2017-5232](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-5232/): Other in Nexpose (high 7.8)
- [CVE-2017-5230](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-5230/): Hardcoded credentials in Nexpose (high 7.2)
- [CVE-2020-7382](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7382/): Unquoted Path in Rapid7 Nexpose Installer (medium 6.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2019-5638 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2019-5638 is a high-severity vulnerability in Rapid7 Nexpose, published on 21 Aug 2019. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, and only if a user opens a file or follows a link.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2019-5638 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Rapid7 Nexpose. 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-2019-5638/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-5638/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-5638
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-5638
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2019-5638

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-5638/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.