CVE-2018-10995 in Slurm
Summary
by MITRE
SchedMD Slurm before 17.02.11 and 17.1x.x before 17.11.7 mishandles user names (aka user_name fields) and group ids (aka gid fields).
If you want to get the best quality for vulnerability data then you always have to consider VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/17/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-10995 affects SchedMD Slurm workload management and job scheduling systems, specifically versions prior to 17.02.11 and 17.11.7 in the 17.1x.x series. This issue stems from improper handling of user names and group identifiers within the system's authentication and authorization mechanisms. The flaw manifests when Slurm processes user_name and gid fields, creating potential security risks that could be exploited by malicious actors to gain unauthorized access or escalate privileges within the cluster environment.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the inadequate validation and sanitization of user identity information passed to the Slurm daemon processes. When user names and group identifiers are processed without proper input validation, the system becomes susceptible to injection attacks or privilege escalation scenarios. The vulnerability specifically impacts how Slurm handles these critical identity fields during job submission, scheduling, and execution phases, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate user contexts and gain unauthorized access to resources or jobs belonging to other users.
This flaw operates at the intersection of multiple security domains including authentication, authorization, and privilege management within distributed computing environments. The impact extends beyond simple access control violations as it can enable attackers to execute arbitrary code, modify job parameters, or access sensitive data from other users' workloads. The vulnerability particularly affects high-performance computing clusters where multiple users share resources and where proper isolation between user contexts is critical for maintaining security boundaries.
The operational implications of CVE-2018-10995 are significant for organizations relying on Slurm for cluster management, as it creates potential attack vectors that could compromise entire computational environments. System administrators may experience unauthorized access to compute resources, job data theft, or disruption of legitimate user activities. The vulnerability's impact is particularly concerning in research institutions, government agencies, and enterprises where computational clusters handle sensitive data and require strict access controls to maintain security compliance.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability include immediate upgrade to Slurm versions 17.02.11 or 17.11.7, which contain the necessary patches to properly validate user_name and gid fields. Organizations should also implement additional monitoring of authentication logs and user activity patterns to detect potential exploitation attempts. Security teams should conduct thorough assessments of their Slurm configurations to ensure proper input validation is in place and consider implementing additional access controls such as mandatory access controls or enhanced audit logging. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-20 and CWE-79 principles related to improper input validation and injection flaws, and may be categorized under ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation and credential access through system manipulation.
Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation and access control lists to limit exposure of Slurm services to trusted networks only, reducing the attack surface available to potential exploiters. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning of cluster environments should be conducted to identify and remediate similar issues before they can be exploited. The patching process should be prioritized as a critical security measure, with rollback procedures in place to maintain system availability during remediation activities.