Summary
Rancher Recreates Default User With Known Password Despite Deletion
An issue was discovered that affects the following versions of Rancher: v2.0.0 through v2.0.13, v2.1.0 through v2.1.8, and v2.2.0 through 2.2.1. When Rancher starts for the first time, it creates a default admin user with a well-known password. After initial setup, the Rancher administrator may choose to delete this default admin user. If Rancher is restarted, the default admin user will be recreated with the well-known default password. An attacker could exploit this by logging in with the default admin credentials. This can be mitigated by deactivating the default admin user rather than completing deleting them.
Impact
The application does not adequately verify the identity of a user, device, or process before granting access. Typical impact: unauthorized access to functions or data reserved for authenticated parties.
CVE-2019-11202 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, no privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2.2.2); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2019-11202? CVE-2019-11202 is a critical-severity improper authentication vulnerability in github.com/rancher/rancher (go), affecting versions >= 2.0.0, <= 2.0.13. It is fixed in 2.2.2. The application does not adequately verify the identity of a user, device, or process before granting access.
- How severe is CVE-2019-11202? CVE-2019-11202 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of github.com/rancher/rancher are affected by CVE-2019-11202? github.com/rancher/rancher (go) versions >= 2.0.0, <= 2.0.13 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2019-11202? Yes. CVE-2019-11202 is fixed in 2.2.2. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2019-11202 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2019-11202 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2019-11202 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2019-11202? Upgrade
github.com/rancher/rancherto 2.2.2 or later.