CVE-2013-2193 in HBase
Summary
by MITRE
Apache HBase 0.92.x before 0.92.3 and 0.94.x before 0.94.9, when the Kerberos features are enabled, allows man-in-the-middle attackers to disable bidirectional authentication and obtain sensitive information via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/10/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-2193 affects Apache HBase versions prior to 0.92.3 and 0.94.9 when Kerberos authentication is enabled. This represents a critical security flaw in distributed database systems that operate within enterprise environments where authentication and authorization mechanisms are paramount. The vulnerability specifically targets the bidirectional authentication process that is fundamental to secure communication between HBase clients and servers when Kerberos is configured.
The technical flaw manifests in the improper handling of Kerberos authentication parameters during the negotiation process. When Kerberos features are enabled in HBase, the system should establish secure bidirectional authentication between client and server components, ensuring that both parties verify each other's identities before establishing secure communication channels. However, this vulnerability allows attackers to manipulate the authentication flow in such a way that bidirectional authentication can be effectively disabled. The unspecified vectors suggest that the attack could potentially exploit various aspects of the Kerberos protocol implementation, including ticket validation, service principal handling, or authentication context negotiation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple credential theft, as it fundamentally undermines the security model of HBase deployments that rely on Kerberos for authentication. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability can obtain sensitive information from the database system, potentially including user credentials, data access tokens, and other confidential information stored within the HBase cluster. This compromise can lead to unauthorized data access, data exfiltration, and potentially full system control if the attacker can escalate privileges through the compromised authentication mechanism. The vulnerability is particularly concerning in enterprise environments where HBase serves as a critical data store for sensitive business information.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability maps to CWE-287 which addresses improper authentication issues in authentication systems. The attack pattern aligns with MITRE ATT&CK techniques related to credential access and defense evasion, specifically targeting the authentication process to weaken security controls. Organizations using affected HBase versions should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to patched versions, reviewing Kerberos configuration parameters, and monitoring for suspicious authentication patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper authentication protocol implementation in distributed systems and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of authentication mechanisms in enterprise database platforms.