CVE-2018-11744 in Manager
Summary
by MITRE
Cloudera Manager through 5.15 has Incorrect Access Control.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/03/2020
Cloudera Manager version 5.15 and earlier contains a critical access control vulnerability that allows unauthorized users to bypass authentication mechanisms and gain administrative privileges. This flaw exists within the web application interface of the Cloudera management platform, which is widely used for deploying and managing big data environments including hadoop clusters. The vulnerability stems from improper validation of user permissions and session management, creating a path for attackers to escalate their privileges without proper authentication. The issue affects organizations that rely on Cloudera Manager for cluster administration, potentially exposing sensitive data processing environments to unauthorized access.
The technical implementation of this access control flaw involves a failure in the authorization checking process within the web application's request handling mechanism. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by crafting specific requests that bypass the normal authentication flow, allowing them to access administrative functions and modify cluster configurations. The flaw specifically impacts the way the application validates user roles and permissions, particularly in scenarios involving API endpoints and administrative interfaces. This misconfiguration enables attackers to perform actions typically restricted to authenticated administrators, including cluster configuration changes, data access modifications, and system monitoring capabilities. The vulnerability operates at the application layer and can be exploited through network-based attacks without requiring physical access to the system.
The operational impact of CVE-2018-11744 extends beyond simple unauthorized access, as it fundamentally compromises the security posture of big data environments managed through Cloudera Manager. Organizations using affected versions may experience data breaches, unauthorized system modifications, and potential compromise of entire distributed computing clusters. The vulnerability creates a persistent backdoor that attackers can use to maintain access over time, making it particularly dangerous for environments handling sensitive data. Security teams may face challenges in detecting this exploitation due to the legitimate nature of the authenticated sessions that are created. The impact is especially severe in regulated environments where data governance and access controls are critical, as this vulnerability undermines the integrity of the entire management infrastructure.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to Cloudera Manager version 5.16 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this access control flaw. System administrators should also implement network segmentation and access controls to limit exposure of the Cloudera Manager interface to trusted networks only. Additional mitigations include enabling multi-factor authentication, regularly auditing access logs for suspicious activities, and implementing network monitoring solutions to detect anomalous behavior patterns. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-285 which addresses improper authorization in software systems, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1078 for valid accounts and T1566 for social engineering tactics. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive security assessments of their big data environments to identify any other potential access control weaknesses that may have been exploited through this vulnerability.