CVE-2018-1320 in Thrift Java Client Library
Summary
by MITRE
Apache Thrift Java client library versions 0.5.0 through 0.11.0 can bypass SASL negotiation isComplete validation in the org.apache.thrift.transport.TSaslTransport class. An assert used to determine if the SASL handshake had successfully completed could be disabled in production settings making the validation incomplete.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/23/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-1320 affects the Apache Thrift Java client library across versions 0.5.0 through 0.11.0, specifically within the org.apache.thrift.transport.TSaslTransport class. This issue represents a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity of the SASL (Simple Authentication and Security Layer) authentication mechanism. The vulnerability stems from an assertion mechanism that is designed to validate whether the SASL handshake has successfully completed, but this validation can be bypassed in production environments where assertions are disabled.
The technical flaw manifests in the improper handling of SASL negotiation validation within the TSaslTransport class. During the SASL authentication process, the system should verify that the authentication handshake has completed successfully before proceeding with secure communication. However, when assertions are disabled in production code, the assert statement that checks the isComplete validation of the SASL negotiation becomes ineffective, allowing potentially unauthenticated connections to proceed as if they were properly authenticated. This represents a direct violation of the principle of least privilege and can lead to unauthorized access to services that rely on Thrift for communication.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple authentication bypass, as it can enable various attack vectors including man-in-the-middle attacks, unauthorized data access, and potential privilege escalation within systems that depend on Thrift for secure communication. The vulnerability affects distributed systems where Apache Thrift is used for inter-service communication, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where service-to-service authentication is critical. According to CWE-284, this vulnerability falls under improper access control, while ATT&CK framework would categorize this under privilege escalation and initial access techniques.
Organizations utilizing affected versions of Apache Thrift should prioritize immediate mitigation through upgrading to versions that address this vulnerability, specifically those beyond 0.11.0 where the assertion handling has been corrected. Additionally, administrators should review their production configurations to ensure assertions are properly enabled during security-critical operations, though this should not be considered a permanent solution. The recommended approach involves implementing proper authentication validation mechanisms that do not rely on assertions, and conducting thorough security audits of all Thrift-based services to identify and remediate similar issues. Organizations should also consider implementing network-level security controls such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems to monitor for unauthorized access attempts that may exploit this vulnerability.