CVE-2026-21756 in Hive
Summary
by MITRE • 08/24/2026
HCL Hive is affected by a broken access control vulnerability which could allow an attacker or unauthorized user to introduce unverified, malicious, or broken code directly into production environments.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/24/2026
The identified vulnerability in HCL Hive represents a critical failure in the implementation of authorization controls, specifically categorized under CWE-269 Improper Privilege Management and more precisely as Broken Access Control (CWE-862). This flaw stems from an insufficient verification mechanism that fails to enforce appropriate restrictions on authenticated users regarding what actions they can perform or which resources they can access. In the context of modern software development pipelines, such a vulnerability is particularly severe because it undermines the integrity of the deployment process. The system allows entities with lower privileges or no legitimate authorization to bypass standard security gates designed to validate code quality and safety before it reaches live systems.
From an operational perspective, this broken access control enables an attacker or unauthorized user to inject unverified, malicious, or broken code directly into production environments. This action effectively circumvents the intended separation of duties between development, testing, and deployment phases. By introducing compromised artifacts without proper validation, the attacker can establish persistence within the infrastructure, execute arbitrary commands, exfiltrate sensitive data, or disrupt service availability. The impact extends beyond immediate system compromise to include long-term reputational damage and potential regulatory non-compliance due to the breach of integrity controls mandated by frameworks such as NIST SP 800-53 and ISO/IEC 27001.
The attack vector for this vulnerability aligns with techniques observed in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly those related to Supply Chain Compromise (T1195) or Unauthorized Access via API Endpoints if applicable within HCL Hive's architecture. Attackers may exploit weak session management, missing object-level permissions, or flawed business logic that assumes trust based on initial authentication rather than continuous verification of intent and authority during the code submission process. This allows for a stealthy infiltration where malicious payloads are disguised as legitimate development artifacts, making detection difficult without rigorous audit logging and anomaly detection mechanisms.
Mitigation strategies must focus on implementing strict role-based access control (RBAC) policies that adhere to the principle of least privilege. It is essential to enforce multi-factor authentication for all users interacting with production environments and to implement robust input validation and code signing requirements before any artifact is accepted into the pipeline. Security teams should also deploy continuous monitoring solutions capable of detecting unusual patterns in deployment activities, such as changes originating from unexpected user accounts or at irregular times. Regular penetration testing focused on access control logic and automated security scanning within the CI/CD pipeline are critical steps to identify and remediate these weaknesses before they can be exploited by adversaries seeking to compromise system integrity.