CVE-2018-11778: Ranger UnixAuthenticationService Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-c99h-fgqm-6679
Share
CVSS 8.8
CWE-787
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-11778 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) unixauthenticationservice vulnerability (CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write) affecting Ranger libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves unixauthenticationservice in apache ranger was updated to correctly handle user input to avoid stack-based buffer overflow. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.2.0.

CVE-2018-11778 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-11778
GHSA Identifier GHSA-c99h-fgqm-6679
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write
Affected Product Ranger
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2018-11778

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Ranger dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

org.apache.ranger:ranger fixed: 1.2.0 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.ranger</groupId>
    <artifactId>ranger</artifactId>
    <version>1.2.0</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.ranger

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2018-11778, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.ranger

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Ranger in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.2.0), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.ranger command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write, where the product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer. In Ranger, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

UnixAuthenticationService in Apache Ranger 1.2.0 was updated to correctly handle user input to avoid Stack-based buffer overflow. Versions prior to 1.2.0 should be upgraded to 1.2.0

CVE-2018-11778 Affected Ranger Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.2.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.ranger:ranger
maven/org.apache.ranger/ranger
Maven
< 1.2.0
1.2.0

References

NVD — CVE-2018-11778 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-11778
cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/... WEB
https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/RANGER/Vulnerabilities+found+in+Ranger
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-c99h-fgqm-6679
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r04bc43... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r04bc435a92911de4b52d2b98f169bd7cf2e8bbeb53b03788df8f932c@%3Cdev.ranger.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rd88077... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rd88077a781ef38f7687c100f93992f4dda8aa101925050c4af470998@%3Cdev.ranger.apache.org%3E
seclists.org/oss-sec/2018/q4/11 WEB
https://seclists.org/oss-sec/2018/q4/11

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-11778?
CVE-2018-11778 is a security vulnerability in Ranger involving UnixAuthenticationService in Apache Ranger was updated to correctly handle user input to avoid Stack-based buffer overflow under CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write.
Which Ranger versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.2.0 across affected packages: org.apache.ranger:ranger.
What version fixes CVE-2018-11778?
Upgrading to 1.2.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ranger affected?
Yes, org.apache.ranger:ranger is affected in releases prior to 1.2.0. Upgrade your dependency to 1.2.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-11778?
CVE-2018-11778 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-11778?
CVE-2018-11778 is classified under CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write (The product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2018-11778?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.ranger'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-c99h-fgqm-6679",
  "modified" : "2022-04-27T13:52:10Z",
  "published" : "2018-10-17T17:22:23Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-11778" ],
  "summary" : "UnixAuthenticationService in Apache Ranger was updated to correctly handle user input to avoid Stack-based buffer overflow",
  "details" : "UnixAuthenticationService in Apache Ranger 1.2.0 was updated to correctly handle user input to avoid Stack-based buffer overflow. Versions prior to 1.2.0 should be upgraded to 1.2.0",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.ranger:ranger"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.2.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-11778"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/RANGER/Vulnerabilities+found+in+Ranger"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-c99h-fgqm-6679"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r04bc435a92911de4b52d2b98f169bd7cf2e8bbeb53b03788df8f932c@%3Cdev.ranger.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rd88077a781ef38f7687c100f93992f4dda8aa101925050c4af470998@%3Cdev.ranger.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://seclists.org/oss-sec/2018/q4/11"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-787" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:30:43Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}