Apache Hive up to 4.2.0 SAML Bearer-Token Validation improper authentication

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability was found in Apache Hive up to 4.2.0. It has been declared as critical. This vulnerability affects unknown code of the component SAML Bearer-Token Validation. Executing a manipulation can lead to improper authentication. This vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2026-53561. The attack can be launched remotely. No exploit exists.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability classified as critical was found in Apache Hive up to 4.2.0. This vulnerability affects some unknown processing of the component SAML Bearer-Token Validation. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a improper authentication vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-287. When an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct. As an impact it is known to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability. CVE summarizes:

An improper authentication vulnerability in HiveServer2 SAML bearer-token validation in Apache Hive 4.0.0 through 4.2.0 (and later unreleased branches) on deployments using HTTP transport with hive.server2.authentication=SAML allows an unauthenticated network attacker to authenticate as an arbitrary Hive user and obtain an authenticated HiveServer2 session via a forged Authorization: Bearer token sent to the /cliservice HTTP endpoint. Users are recommended to upgrade to 4.2.1 version that includes the fix for this issue. Access / authorization required: No Hive credentials, SAML IdP login, or knowledge of the server signing secret is required. The attacker only needs network reachability to the HiveServer2 HTTP port (typically /cliservice), directly or through a reverse proxy such as Apache Knox that forwards unauthenticated requests to HS2. The instance must have SAML authentication enabled in HTTP mode. Deployments where Knox handles SSO and HiveServer2 uses LDAP/Kerberos (not native SAML mode) are not affected by this specific issue.

The advisory is available at github.com. This vulnerability was named CVE-2026-53561 since 06/09/2026. The exploitation appears to be easy. The attack can be initiated remotely. No form of authentication is required for a successful exploitation. The technical details are unknown and an exploit is not available. The structure of the vulnerability defines a possible price range of USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 08/25/2026).

Upgrading to version 4.2.1 eliminates this vulnerability.

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Productinfo

Vendor

• Apache

Name

• Hive

Version

• 4.0
• 4.1
• 4.2.0

License

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.apache.org/

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