CVE-2018-11786: Apache karaf Improper Privilege Management Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-9448-c9wq-jg9v
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CVSS 8.8
CWE-269
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-11786 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.8) improper privilege management vulnerability (CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management) affecting Apache karaf libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves improper privilege management in apache karaf. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.2.0.

CVE-2018-11786 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-11786
GHSA Identifier GHSA-9448-c9wq-jg9v
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management
Affected Product Apache karaf
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-2018-11786

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Apache karaf 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.karaf:apache-karaf fixed: 4.2.0 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.karaf</groupId>
    <artifactId>apache-karaf</artifactId>
    <version>4.2.0</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.karaf

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2018-11786, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

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

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Apache karaf in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.2.0), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.karaf 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-269: Improper Privilege Management, where the product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor. In Apache karaf, 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 Karaf prior to 4.2.0 release, if the sshd service in Karaf is left on so an administrator can manage the running instance, any user with rights to the Karaf console can pivot and read/write any file on the file system to which the Karaf process user has access. This can be locked down a bit by using chroot to change the root directory to protect files outside of the Karaf install directory; it can be further locked down by defining a security manager policy that limits file system access to those directories beneath the Karaf home that are necessary for the system to run. However, this still allows anyone with ssh access to the Karaf process to read and write a large number of files as the Karaf process user.

CVE-2018-11786 Affected Apache karaf Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.2.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.karaf:apache-karaf
maven/org.apache.karaf/apache-karaf
Maven
< 4.2.0
4.2.0

References

NVD — CVE-2018-11786 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-11786
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-9448-c9wq-jg9v
issues.apache.org/jira/browse/karaf-5... WEB
https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/KARAF-5427
lists.apache.org/thread.html/5b7ac76... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/5b7ac762c6bbe77ac5d9389f093fc6dbf196c36d788e3d7629e6c1d9@%3Cdev.karaf.apache.org%3E
Apache karaf Security Information SECURITY
http://karaf.apache.org/security/cve-2018-11786.txt

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-11786?
CVE-2018-11786 is a security vulnerability in Apache karaf involving Improper Privilege Management in Apache Karaf under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management.
Which Apache karaf versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.2.0 across affected packages: org.apache.karaf:apache-karaf.
What version fixes CVE-2018-11786?
Upgrading to 4.2.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is apache-karaf affected?
Yes, org.apache.karaf:apache-karaf is affected in releases prior to 4.2.0. Upgrade your dependency to 4.2.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-11786?
CVE-2018-11786 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-2018-11786?
CVE-2018-11786 is classified under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management (The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2018-11786?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.karaf'. 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-9448-c9wq-jg9v",
  "modified" : "2022-09-14T22:28:00Z",
  "published" : "2018-12-21T17:49:33Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-11786" ],
  "summary" : "Improper Privilege Management in Apache Karaf",
  "details" : "In Apache Karaf prior to 4.2.0 release, if the sshd service in Karaf is left on so an administrator can manage the running instance, any user with rights to the Karaf console can pivot and read/write any file on the file system to which the Karaf process user has access. This can be locked down a bit by using chroot to change the root directory to protect files outside of the Karaf install directory; it can be further locked down by defining a security manager policy that limits file system access to those directories beneath the Karaf home that are necessary for the system to run. However, this still allows anyone with ssh access to the Karaf process to read and write a large number of files as the Karaf process 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.karaf:apache-karaf"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.2.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-11786"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-9448-c9wq-jg9v"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/KARAF-5427"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/5b7ac762c6bbe77ac5d9389f093fc6dbf196c36d788e3d7629e6c1d9@%3Cdev.karaf.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://karaf.apache.org/security/cve-2018-11786.txt"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-269" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:27:21Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}