CVE-2016-4976 in Ambari
Summary
by MITRE
Apache Ambari 2.x before 2.4.0 includes KDC administrator passwords on the kadmin command line, which allows local users to obtain sensitive information via a process listing.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/23/2020
Apache Ambari version 2.x prior to 2.4.0 contains a critical security flaw that exposes KDC administrator passwords through command line arguments when executing kadmin commands. This vulnerability stems from improper handling of sensitive credentials during the Kerberos administration process, where password values are passed directly as command line parameters rather than being securely managed or masked. The flaw creates an information disclosure risk that can be exploited by local attackers who can enumerate running processes on the system, thereby accessing the command line arguments that contain the cleartext passwords. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-209, Information Exposure Through an Error Message, and CWE-312, Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information, as it exposes sensitive authentication data through process listings.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within the Ambari server's Kerberos configuration management functionality, where administrative commands are executed with elevated privileges to manage Kerberos principals and keytabs. When kadmin commands are invoked, the system passes the KDC administrator password as a command line argument, which remains visible in the process table accessible to any local user with appropriate permissions. This design flaw violates fundamental security principles of credential handling and privilege separation, as it exposes authentication tokens to processes that should not have access to them. The vulnerability specifically affects the Kerberos administration workflow within Ambari's cluster management capabilities, where automated configuration deployment and principal management operations are performed.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant for organizations using Apache Ambari for Hadoop cluster management, as local attackers can obtain administrative credentials for Kerberos services without requiring additional attack vectors or privilege escalation. This exposure compromises the integrity of the entire Kerberos authentication infrastructure, potentially allowing attackers to impersonate legitimate users, gain unauthorized access to cluster resources, or perform malicious operations within the Hadoop ecosystem. The vulnerability affects not only the immediate system but also the broader security posture of the cluster, as Kerberos credentials are often used for authentication across multiple services and components within the Hadoop stack. Attackers can leverage this information to conduct lateral movement attacks, escalate privileges, or establish persistent access within the cluster environment.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to Apache Ambari version 2.4.0 or later to remediate this vulnerability, as the patch addresses the improper credential handling by implementing secure command execution methods that do not expose passwords through command line arguments. Additional mitigations include restricting local user access to systems running Ambari, implementing process monitoring to detect suspicious command line argument patterns, and ensuring proper privilege separation in Kerberos administration operations. Security teams should also review and audit existing Kerberos configurations to identify any compromised credentials and implement monitoring for unauthorized access attempts. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of secure credential handling practices and proper process management in enterprise security systems, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1003.001 for Credential Dumping and T1059.003 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, as it enables attackers to extract sensitive information from running processes through legitimate system administration tools.