CVE-2026-62764 in Accumulo
Summary
by MITRE • 07/17/2026
Improper Handling of Insufficient Privileges vulnerability in Apache Accumulo. An authenticated, but low-privileged user without system permissions may issue a remote command to gracefully shutdown system components (compaction-coordinator, compactor, gc, manager, monitor, tserver, or sserver), leading to a denial of service.
This issue affects Apache Accumulo 2.1.4 and 2.1.5.
Users are recommended to upgrade to version 2.1.6, which fixes the issue.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/17/2026
The vulnerability under discussion represents a critical improper handling of insufficient privileges flaw within Apache Accumulo, a distributed key-value store designed for large-scale data processing. This weakness allows authenticated users with minimal system permissions to execute remote commands that can gracefully shut down essential system components including compaction-coordinator, compactor, garbage collector, manager, monitor, tablet server, and secondary server processes. The vulnerability stems from inadequate privilege validation mechanisms within the system's command execution framework, where low-privileged users can exploit legitimate administrative interfaces to issue shutdown commands that were intended to be restricted to system administrators or privileged entities.
The technical implementation of this flaw demonstrates a failure in access control enforcement at multiple operational levels within the Accumulo architecture. When authenticated users submit commands through the system's administrative interface, the application fails to properly validate whether the requesting user possesses sufficient privileges to execute shutdown operations on critical components. This privilege escalation occurs because the system does not maintain proper authorization checks for administrative functions, allowing users with basic authentication credentials to access and manipulate core system processes that should require elevated permissions. The flaw operates at the application layer where user input is processed without adequate verification of user roles or capabilities.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions, creating potential security risks that could be exploited by malicious actors within the organization. A successful exploitation allows attackers to selectively shut down system components, leading to complete system unavailability and data processing interruptions that can span across multiple services within the Accumulo ecosystem. The affected components represent critical infrastructure elements where shutdown of any single component can cause cascading failures throughout the distributed system, potentially resulting in data loss, service degradation, or complete system paralysis. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege as defined by the CWE-272 weakness category, which specifically addresses scenarios where privilege management fails to properly restrict access to critical system functions.
Organizations operating Apache Accumulo versions 2.1.4 and 2.1.5 face significant operational risks from this vulnerability, as it enables unauthorized users to disrupt critical business operations and compromise data availability. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this weakness under privilege escalation techniques, where adversaries leverage insufficient access controls to gain unauthorized control over system resources. The vulnerability's impact aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique T1078 which addresses legitimate credentials and the exploitation of weak access controls. System administrators should consider implementing additional monitoring mechanisms around administrative command execution to detect unusual patterns of shutdown requests that could indicate exploitation attempts.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves upgrading to Apache Accumulo version 2.1.6, which implements proper privilege validation checks for administrative operations. This upgrade addresses the core issue by enforcing strict access control measures that prevent low-privileged users from executing shutdown commands on critical system components. The fix demonstrates proper implementation of authorization controls that align with security best practices and industry standards such as those outlined in NIST SP 800-53, which emphasizes the importance of access control mechanisms and privilege management within distributed systems. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation, monitoring for unauthorized administrative command execution, and regular privilege reviews to minimize potential exploitation risks.
Additional defensive measures include implementing role-based access controls that explicitly restrict shutdown operations to designated system administrators only, establishing audit trails for all administrative commands executed within the system, and conducting regular security assessments of the application's access control mechanisms. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of proper privilege management in distributed database systems where administrative functions can have cascading effects across multiple system components. Organizations should also review their incident response procedures to ensure they can quickly detect and respond to unauthorized shutdown attempts that could indicate exploitation of this or similar access control vulnerabilities within their infrastructure.