CVE-2016-0733: Ranger The Admin UI Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-j84c-j8qm-g47r
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-287
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-0733 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) the admin ui vulnerability (CWE-287: Improper Authentication) affecting Ranger libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves the admin ui in apache ranger before 0.5.1 does not properly handle authentication requests that lack a password. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.5.1.

CVE-2016-0733 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-0733
GHSA Identifier GHSA-j84c-j8qm-g47r
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-287: Improper Authentication
Affected Product Ranger
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
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-2016-0733

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: 0.5.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.ranger</groupId>
    <artifactId>ranger</artifactId>
    <version>0.5.1</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-2016-0733, 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 0.5.1), 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-287: Improper Authentication, where when an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct. 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

The Admin UI in Apache Ranger before 0.5.1 does not properly handle authentication requests that lack a password, which allows remote attackers to bypass authentication by leveraging knowledge of a valid username.

CVE-2016-0733 Affected Ranger Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.5.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.ranger:ranger
maven/org.apache.ranger/ranger
Maven
< 0.5.1
0.5.1

References

NVD — CVE-2016-0733 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-0733
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-j84c-j8qm-g47r
issues.apache.org/jira/browse/ranger-... WEB
https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/RANGER-835
Ranger Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/82871
mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/ranger-dev... WEB
https://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/ranger-dev/201602.mbox/%3CD2D9A4C5.114ECA%25vel@apache.org%3E

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-0733?
CVE-2016-0733 is a security vulnerability in Ranger involving The Admin UI in Apache Ranger before 0.5.1 does not properly handle authentication requests that lack a password under CWE-287: Improper Authentication.
Which Ranger versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.5.1 across affected packages: org.apache.ranger:ranger.
What version fixes CVE-2016-0733?
Upgrading to 0.5.1 (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 0.5.1. Upgrade your dependency to 0.5.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-0733?
CVE-2016-0733 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-0733?
CVE-2016-0733 is classified under CWE-287: Improper Authentication (When an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2016-0733?
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-j84c-j8qm-g47r",
  "modified" : "2022-04-27T13:41:39Z",
  "published" : "2018-10-17T17:21:11Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-0733" ],
  "summary" : "The Admin UI in Apache Ranger before 0.5.1 does not properly handle authentication requests that lack a password",
  "details" : "The Admin UI in Apache Ranger before 0.5.1 does not properly handle authentication requests that lack a password, which allows remote attackers to bypass authentication by leveraging knowledge of a valid username.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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" : "0.5.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-0733"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/RANGER/Vulnerabilities+found+in+Ranger"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-j84c-j8qm-g47r"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/RANGER-835"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/ranger-dev/201602.mbox/%3CD2D9A4C5.114ECA%25vel@apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/82871"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-287" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:42:33Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}