CVE-2016-6807 in Ambari
Summary
by MITRE
Custom commands may be executed on Ambari Agent (2.4.x, before 2.4.2) hosts without authorization, leading to unauthorized access to operations that may affect the underlying system. Such operations are invoked by the Ambari Agent process on Ambari Agent hosts, as the user executing the Ambari Agent process.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/23/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-6807 represents a critical authorization flaw within Apache Ambari Agent versions 2.4.0 through 2.4.1, where custom commands can be executed on affected hosts without proper authentication. This issue stems from insufficient input validation and authorization checks within the Ambari Agent process, allowing malicious actors to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary commands with the same privileges as the Ambari Agent service account. The vulnerability specifically affects the command execution mechanism that operates on Ambari Agent hosts, where commands are processed and executed by the user context of the running Ambari Agent process, creating a potential attack vector for privilege escalation and system compromise.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs through the Ambari Agent's handling of custom command execution requests, where the agent fails to properly validate the authenticity and authorization of incoming command requests. This flaw enables attackers to submit malicious commands that bypass normal security controls, effectively allowing unauthorized users to execute operations that could directly impact the underlying operating system. The vulnerability manifests when the Ambari Agent processes custom commands without verifying the command source or ensuring proper authorization, creating a pathway for remote command execution that operates within the security context of the Ambari Agent service user. This represents a classic authorization bypass vulnerability, with potential implications for both confidentiality and integrity of the affected systems.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-6807 extends beyond simple command execution, as it provides attackers with the ability to perform system-level operations that could compromise the entire infrastructure managed by Ambari. Attackers could potentially install malware, modify system configurations, access sensitive data, or disrupt services by leveraging this vulnerability to execute commands with elevated privileges. The risk is particularly severe in big data environments where Ambari is commonly used for cluster management, as compromised agents could provide attackers with access to entire data processing pipelines. This vulnerability directly aligns with attack patterns described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the privilege escalation and command and control categories, specifically targeting the execution of malicious code with elevated system privileges.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including upgrading to Ambari Agent version 2.4.2 or later, which contains the necessary security patches to address the authorization bypass. Additional protective measures include implementing network segmentation to limit access to Ambari Agent hosts, enforcing strict access controls on Ambari management interfaces, and monitoring for unauthorized command execution attempts. The vulnerability is classified as a CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) issue, highlighting the fundamental security flaw in the access control mechanisms of the Ambari Agent implementation. Security teams should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious command execution patterns and establish baseline behaviors for normal Ambari Agent operations to quickly identify potential exploitation attempts.