CVE-2016-6807: Ambari Apache Ambari Improper Access Control Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-j76q-99x2-v7vq
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-284
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-6807 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) apache ambari improper access control vulnerability (CWE-284: Improper Access Control) affecting Ambari libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves apache ambari improper access control. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.4.2.

CVE-2016-6807 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-6807
GHSA Identifier GHSA-j76q-99x2-v7vq
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-284: Improper Access Control
Affected Product Ambari
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-2016-6807

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Ambari 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.ambari:ambari fixed: 2.4.2 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.ambari</groupId>
    <artifactId>ambari</artifactId>
    <version>2.4.2</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.ambari

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2016-6807, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

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

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Ambari in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.4.2), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.ambari 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-284: Improper Access Control, where the product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor. In Ambari, 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

Custom commands may be executed on Ambari Agent (2.4.x, before 2.4.2) hosts without authorization, leading to unauthorized access to operations that may affect the underlying system. Such operations are invoked by the Ambari Agent process on Ambari Agent hosts, as the user executing the Ambari Agent process.

CVE-2016-6807 Affected Ambari Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.4.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.ambari:ambari
maven/org.apache.ambari/ambari
Maven
≥ 2.4.0
< 2.4.2
2.4.2

References

NVD — CVE-2016-6807 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-6807
cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/... WEB
https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/AMBARI/Ambari+Vulnerabilities#AmbariVulnerabilities-FixedinAmbari2.4.2
Ambari Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/ambari
Ambari Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20200227181557/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/97184

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-6807?
CVE-2016-6807 is a security vulnerability in Ambari involving Apache Ambari Improper Access Control under CWE-284: Improper Access Control.
Which Ambari versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.4.2 across affected packages: org.apache.ambari:ambari.
What version fixes CVE-2016-6807?
Upgrading to 2.4.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ambari affected?
Yes, org.apache.ambari:ambari is affected in releases prior to 2.4.2. Upgrade your dependency to 2.4.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-6807?
CVE-2016-6807 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-2016-6807?
CVE-2016-6807 is classified under CWE-284: Improper Access Control (The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2016-6807?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.ambari'. 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-j76q-99x2-v7vq",
  "modified" : "2023-11-07T17:56:12Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T02:51:56Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-6807" ],
  "summary" : "Apache Ambari Improper Access Control",
  "details" : "Custom commands may be executed on Ambari Agent (2.4.x, before 2.4.2) hosts without authorization, leading to unauthorized access to operations that may affect the underlying system. Such operations are invoked by the Ambari Agent process on Ambari Agent hosts, as the user executing the Ambari Agent process.",
  "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.ambari:ambari"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.4.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.4.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-6807"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/AMBARI/Ambari+Vulnerabilities#AmbariVulnerabilities-FixedinAmbari2.4.2"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/ambari"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20200227181557/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/97184"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-284" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-07-31T19:33:06Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2017-03-28T20:59:00Z"
  }
}