CVE-2022-29501 in Slurm
Summary
by MITRE • 05/05/2022
SchedMD Slurm 21.08.x through 20.11.x has Incorrect Access Control that leads to Escalation of Privileges and code execution.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/16/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-29501 affects SchedMD Slurm workload management and job scheduling systems version 21.08.x through 20.11.x, representing a critical access control flaw that enables privilege escalation and remote code execution capabilities. This vulnerability resides within the Slurm job scheduler daemon's handling of certain RPC (Remote Procedure Call) operations, specifically in how the system validates user permissions and authentication tokens during job submission and management processes. The flaw allows unauthenticated or low-privilege users to exploit improper access controls that should normally restrict administrative functions and system-level operations.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and insufficient permission checking within the Slurm daemon's communication protocols. When processing certain job submission requests or administrative commands, the system fails to properly verify that the requesting user possesses adequate privileges to perform the requested operations. This weakness creates an access control bypass condition where malicious actors can craft specially formatted RPC requests that appear to originate from privileged users or systems. The vulnerability manifests through the improper handling of authentication tokens and session management within the Slurm scheduler's communication layer, allowing attackers to escalate their privileges from standard user accounts to root-level system access. According to CWE classification, this vulnerability maps to CWE-284: Improper Access Control, which specifically addresses insufficient access control mechanisms that allow unauthorized users to access resources or perform operations they should not be permitted to execute.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-29501 is severe and far-reaching within high-performance computing environments that rely on Slurm for job scheduling and resource management. Organizations utilizing affected Slurm versions face significant risks including complete system compromise, data exfiltration, persistent backdoor establishment, and disruption of critical computational workflows. Attackers exploiting this vulnerability can execute arbitrary code with the highest system privileges, potentially leading to complete infrastructure takeover. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in research institutions, government agencies, and enterprise HPC environments where Slurm manages critical computational resources and sensitive data processing tasks. The exploitability of this vulnerability is enhanced by the fact that it can often be executed remotely without requiring prior authentication, making it especially dangerous in networked environments where Slurm daemons are accessible from external networks. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under privilege escalation techniques, specifically mapping to T1068: Exploitation for Privilege Escalation and T1543: Create or Modify System Process, as attackers can leverage the flaw to establish persistent access and modify system processes.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-29501 require immediate action including applying the official patches released by SchedMD for versions 21.08.1 and 20.11.9, which address the access control validation issues within the Slurm daemon. Organizations should implement network segmentation to restrict access to Slurm daemons to trusted administrative networks only, and deploy firewalls to block unnecessary ports and protocols used by the Slurm communication system. Additional protective measures include enabling strict authentication mechanisms, implementing regular security audits of Slurm configurations, and monitoring for unusual job submission patterns or unauthorized administrative access attempts. System administrators should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify anomalous RPC traffic patterns consistent with exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date software versions and implementing defense-in-depth strategies for critical infrastructure components like workload schedulers that control access to computational resources. Organizations should also conduct comprehensive risk assessments to identify all systems running affected Slurm versions and prioritize patching based on the criticality of the computational resources managed by these systems.