CVE-2016-6605 in CDH
Summary
by MITRE
Impala in CDH 5.2.0 through 5.7.2 and 5.8.0 allows remote attackers to bypass Setry authorization.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/28/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-6605 affects Apache Impala components within Cloudera Distribution Including Apache Hadoop CDH versions 5.2.0 through 5.7.2 and 5.8.0, representing a critical authorization bypass flaw that undermines the security controls designed to protect data access within big data environments. This vulnerability resides in the authorization mechanisms that govern user access to data stored in distributed computing frameworks, specifically targeting the security controls that should prevent unauthorized data access. The flaw allows remote attackers to circumvent the established security policies that should restrict user access based on their assigned permissions and roles within the system.
The technical implementation of this authorization bypass stems from insufficient validation of user credentials and access controls within the Impala query execution engine. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by crafting specific requests that manipulate the authorization checking process, effectively allowing them to access data that they should not have permission to view or modify. This flaw operates at the application layer and leverages the distributed nature of the Hadoop ecosystem to execute unauthorized access patterns that bypass the established security boundaries. The vulnerability specifically impacts the integration between Impala's query processing capabilities and the underlying authorization frameworks that should enforce access control policies.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-6605 extends far beyond simple data exposure, as it enables attackers to potentially access sensitive business data, customer information, or proprietary analytics that organizations rely on for competitive advantage. Organizations using affected CDH versions face significant risk of data breaches, regulatory compliance violations, and potential financial losses due to unauthorized access to critical datasets. The remote nature of this vulnerability means that attackers do not require physical access to the system or network to exploit it, making the attack surface significantly larger than traditional local privilege escalation vulnerabilities. This authorization bypass can lead to widespread data compromise across multiple data repositories within the Impala environment, as the flaw affects the core authorization mechanisms that should protect data access across various databases and tables.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigations including upgrading to patched versions of CDH that address this vulnerability, as the affected versions contain known security flaws that have been resolved in subsequent releases. Organizations should also review and strengthen their existing access control policies, implement additional monitoring for unauthorized access attempts, and consider network segmentation to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285, which addresses improper authorization within software systems, and represents a significant concern from the ATT&CK framework perspective under the privilege escalation and defense evasion techniques. This flaw demonstrates the critical importance of proper access control implementation in distributed computing environments where multiple security layers must work cohesively to protect sensitive data assets from unauthorized access attempts.