CVE-2018-11766: Hadoop main Arbitrary Command Execution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-rqj9-cq6j-958r
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CVSS 8.8
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-11766 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) arbitrary command execution vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Hadoop main libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves arbitrary command execution in hadoop. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.7.7.

CVE-2018-11766 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-11766
GHSA Identifier GHSA-rqj9-cq6j-958r
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
Affected Product Hadoop main
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-2018-11766

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Hadoop main 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.hadoop:hadoop-main fixed: 2.7.7 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.hadoop</groupId>
    <artifactId>hadoop-main</artifactId>
    <version>2.7.7</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.hadoop

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2018-11766, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

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

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Hadoop main in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.7.7), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.hadoop 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 General Security Weakness. In Hadoop main, 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

In Apache Hadoop 2.7.4 to 2.7.6, the security fix for CVE-2016-6811 is incomplete. A user who can escalate to yarn user can possibly run arbitrary commands as root user.

CVE-2018-11766 Affected Hadoop main Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.7.7
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.hadoop:hadoop-main
maven/org.apache.hadoop/hadoop-main
Maven
≥ 2.7.4
< 2.7.7
2.7.7

References

NVD — CVE-2018-11766 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-11766
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-rqj9-cq6j-958r
lists.apache.org/thread.html/ff37bbb... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ff37bbbe09d5f03090e2dd2c3dea95de16ef4249e731f19b8959ce4c@%3Cgeneral.hadoop.apache.org%3E
Hadoop main Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106035

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-11766?
CVE-2018-11766 is a security vulnerability in Hadoop main involving Arbitrary Command Execution in Hadoop under General Security Weakness.
Which Hadoop main versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.7.7 across affected packages: org.apache.hadoop:hadoop-main.
What version fixes CVE-2018-11766?
Upgrading to 2.7.7 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is hadoop-main affected?
Yes, org.apache.hadoop:hadoop-main is affected in releases prior to 2.7.7. Upgrade your dependency to 2.7.7 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-11766?
CVE-2018-11766 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-2018-11766?
CVE-2018-11766 is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2018-11766?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.hadoop'. 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-rqj9-cq6j-958r",
  "modified" : "2022-09-14T22:27:02Z",
  "published" : "2018-12-21T17:50:26Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-11766" ],
  "summary" : "Arbitrary Command Execution in Hadoop",
  "details" : "In Apache Hadoop 2.7.4 to 2.7.6, the security fix for CVE-2016-6811 is incomplete. A user who can escalate to yarn user can possibly run arbitrary commands as root user.",
  "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.hadoop:hadoop-main"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.7.4"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.7.7"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2.7.6"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-11766"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-rqj9-cq6j-958r"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ff37bbbe09d5f03090e2dd2c3dea95de16ef4249e731f19b8959ce4c@%3Cgeneral.hadoop.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106035"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:55:32Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}