CVE-2019-13509 — docker
HIGHCVE-2019-13509 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) CWE-532 vulnerability in github.com/docker/docker. A fix is available for github.com/docker/docker — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Secret insertion into debug log in Docker
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2019-13509 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,333 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
github.com/docker/dockerReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Go packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
In Docker CE and EE before 18.09.8 (as well as Docker EE before 17.06.2-ee-23 and 18.x before 18.03.1-ee-10), Docker Engine in debug mode may sometimes add secrets to the debug log. This applies to a scenario where docker stack deploy is run to redeploy a stack that includes (non external) secrets. It potentially applies to other API users of the stack API if they resend the secret.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/docker/docker | all versions | 18.09.8go get github.com/docker/docker@v18.09.8 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/docker/docker, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/docker/docker to 18.09.8 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2019-13509 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2019-13509 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2019-13509. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2019-13509 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2019-13509 across Go dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.