CVE-2019-16097 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.5) CWE-862 vulnerability in github.com/goharbor/harbor. 5 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for github.com/goharbor/harbor — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Missing Authorization in Harbor
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-2019-16097 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 376,715 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the 10–50% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
github.com/goharbor/harborReal-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
core/api/user.go in Harbor 1.7.0 through 1.8.2 allows non-admin users to create admin accounts via the POST /api/users API, when Harbor is setup with DB as authentication backend and allow user to do self-registration. Fixed version: v1.7.6 v1.8.3. v.1.9.0. Workaround without applying the fix: configure Harbor to use non-DB authentication backend such as LDAP.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🐹Go | github.com/goharbor/harbor | ≥ 1.7.0&&< 1.9.0-rc1 | 1.9.0-rc1go get github.com/goharbor/harbor@v1.9.0-rc1 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for github.com/goharbor/harbor, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update github.com/goharbor/harbor to 1.9.0-rc1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2019-16097 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-2019-16097 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2019-16097. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
How to detect CVE-2019-16097
A community-maintained Nuclei template exists for this CVE. You can scan for it directly:
nuclei -id cve-2019-16097 -u https://target- Template
- Harbor <=1.82.0 - Privilege Escalation
- Severity
- medium
- Impact
- Successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow an attacker to escalate their privileges and gain unauthorized access to sensitive information.
- Remediation
- Upgrade to v1.7.6 v1.8.3. v.1.9.0 or higher. A potential workaround without applying the fix is to configure Harbor to use a non-DB authentication backend such as LDAP.
Template by ProjectDiscovery nuclei-templates (pikpikcu), MIT licensed. View the full template. Scan only systems you are authorised to test.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2019-16097 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2019-16097 across Go dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.