CVE-2018-17860 in CDH
Summary
by MITRE
Cloudera CDH has Insecure Permissions because ALL cannot be revoked.This affects 5.x through 5.15.1 and 6.x through 6.0.1.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/27/2019
Cloudera CDH versions 5.x through 5.15.1 and 6.x through 6.0.1 contain a critical permission vulnerability that stems from an improper implementation of access control mechanisms. This vulnerability specifically affects the ALL permission which cannot be revoked, creating a persistent security weakness that allows unauthorized users to maintain elevated privileges indefinitely. The flaw exists within the distributed computing framework's permission management system, where the ALL permission acts as a superuser privilege that cannot be properly removed or restricted through standard administrative controls. This creates a persistent backdoor that attackers can exploit to maintain unauthorized access to critical system components and data within the Cloudera environment.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability lies in the permission model's inability to properly handle the revocation of the ALL permission, which is typically considered the most comprehensive access level within the system. This flaw is classified under CWE-284 as improper access control, specifically where privileges cannot be properly revoked or restricted. The vulnerability allows for privilege escalation attacks where an attacker who gains initial access can leverage this persistent permission to maintain control over the system. The issue manifests in the core permission management engine where the system fails to properly enforce the principle of least privilege, enabling users to retain full administrative capabilities regardless of their intended access level. This creates a fundamental weakness in the security architecture that affects all components within the Cloudera distribution.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching across enterprise environments that rely on Cloudera CDH for big data processing and analytics. Organizations using affected versions face significant risk of persistent unauthorized access, data exfiltration, and system compromise that can remain undetected for extended periods. The vulnerability affects not only individual user accounts but also service accounts and automated processes that may be granted ALL permissions for operational purposes. Attackers can exploit this weakness to maintain long-term access to sensitive data, manipulate system configurations, and potentially escalate privileges to gain full control over the distributed computing environment. The persistence of this vulnerability means that even after initial detection and remediation efforts, the risk remains until the affected versions are properly updated, creating ongoing security exposure for organizations.
Organizations should immediately implement compensating controls including network segmentation, monitoring for unauthorized permission changes, and regular security audits of access control configurations. The recommended mitigation strategy involves upgrading to patched versions of Cloudera CDH where the ALL permission revocation mechanism has been properly implemented. Security teams should conduct comprehensive assessments of existing permissions and ensure that no accounts or services retain unnecessary ALL privileges. Additionally, implementing robust monitoring solutions that can detect unauthorized permission modifications and privilege escalation attempts is crucial. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 for Valid Accounts and T1484 for Domain Policy Modification, indicating that attackers can leverage this weakness to establish persistent access and modify system policies. Organizations should also consider implementing zero-trust network architectures and multi-factor authentication to reduce the impact of such vulnerabilities in their environments.