CVE-2018-8029 in Hadoop
Summary
by MITRE
In Apache Hadoop versions 3.0.0-alpha1 to 3.1.0, 2.9.0 to 2.9.1, and 2.2.0 to 2.8.4, a user who can escalate to yarn user can possibly run arbitrary commands as root user.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/25/2023
Apache Hadoop contains a critical privilege escalation vulnerability in its resource management component that allows unauthorized users to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges. This vulnerability affects multiple versions of the Hadoop ecosystem including the 3.0.0-alpha1 through 3.1.0 releases, 2.9.0 through 2.9.1 versions, and 2.2.0 through 2.8.4 iterations. The flaw exists within the YARN (Yet Another Resource Negotiator) component which manages cluster resources and job execution across distributed computing environments. When a malicious user gains access to the yarn user account through various attack vectors, they can exploit this vulnerability to escalate their privileges and execute commands with the highest system permissions.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from insufficient privilege separation and inadequate access controls within the YARN application master execution framework. Specifically, the vulnerability allows for command injection in the container launch process where user-provided parameters are not properly sanitized or validated before being executed in the context of the root user. This weakness creates a direct path for privilege escalation from the yarn user level to the root user level, bypassing normal security boundaries that should prevent such elevated access. The flaw is classified under CWE-78 as a command injection vulnerability, where attacker-supplied data is executed as part of a command or call to an interpreter, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1068 which describes the use of legitimate credentials to gain system access.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and potentially catastrophic for organizations relying on Hadoop clusters for data processing and analytics. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability can gain complete control over the affected cluster nodes, allowing them to access sensitive data, modify or delete critical files, install backdoors, and potentially propagate the attack to other systems within the network. The vulnerability affects not just individual nodes but entire distributed computing environments where multiple nodes may be compromised simultaneously. Organizations using Hadoop for processing sensitive information such as financial data, personal identifiable information, or proprietary business data face significant risk of data breaches and regulatory compliance violations. The attack vector typically involves gaining initial access to the yarn user account through weak authentication, misconfigured permissions, or other exploitation techniques, followed by the privilege escalation to root level.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate action including applying the official security patches released by Apache for the affected versions. Organizations should also implement network segmentation to limit access to Hadoop clusters, enforce strict authentication mechanisms, and regularly audit user permissions and access controls. The YARN configuration should be reviewed to ensure proper isolation between user applications and system-level operations. Additional protective measures include implementing monitoring solutions to detect unusual command execution patterns, conducting regular security assessments of the Hadoop environment, and ensuring that only necessary users have access to the yarn user account. System administrators should also consider implementing principle of least privilege access controls and regularly updating all Hadoop components to their latest secure versions to prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities in the future.