CVE-2018-8012: Zookeeper Missing Authorization Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-ccqf-c5hq-77mp
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-862
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-8012 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) missing authorization vulnerability (CWE-862: Missing Authorization) affecting Zookeeper libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves missing authorization in apache zookeeper. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.4.10, 3.5.4-beta.

CVE-2018-8012 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-8012
GHSA Identifier GHSA-ccqf-c5hq-77mp
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-862: Missing Authorization
Affected Product Zookeeper
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N).

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 None (C:N)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2018-8012

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Zookeeper 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.zookeeper:zookeeper fixed: 3.4.10 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.zookeeper</groupId>
    <artifactId>zookeeper</artifactId>
    <version>3.4.10</version>
</dependency>
org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper fixed: 3.5.4-beta 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.zookeeper</groupId>
    <artifactId>zookeeper</artifactId>
    <version>3.5.4-beta</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.zookeeper

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2018-8012, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

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

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Zookeeper in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.4.10), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.zookeeper 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-862: Missing Authorization, where the product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action. In Zookeeper, 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

No authentication/authorization is enforced when a server attempts to join a quorum in Apache ZooKeeper before 3.4.10, and 3.5.0-alpha through 3.5.3-beta. As a result an arbitrary end point could join the cluster and begin propagating counterfeit changes to the leader.

CVE-2018-8012 Affected Zookeeper Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.4.103.5.4-beta
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper
maven/org.apache.zookeeper/zookeeper
Maven
< 3.4.10
3.4.10
org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper
maven/org.apache.zookeeper/zookeeper
Maven
≥ 3.5.0-alpha
< 3.5.4-beta
3.5.4-beta

References

NVD — CVE-2018-8012 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-8012
lists.apache.org/thread.html/053d9ce... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/053d9ce4d579b02203db18545fee5e33f35f2932885459b74d1e4272@%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/bcce5a9... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/bcce5a9c532b386c68dab2f6b3ce8b0cc9b950ec551766e76391caa3@%3Ccommits.nifi.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/c751470... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/c75147028c1c79bdebd4f8fa5db2b77da85de2b05ecc0d54d708b393@%3Cdev.zookeeper.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r73daf1... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r73daf1fc5d85677d9a854707e1908d14e174b7bbb0c603709c0ab33f@%3Coak-commits.jackrabbit.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r8f0d92... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r8f0d920805af93033c488af89104e2d682662bacfb8406db865d5e14@%3Cdev.jackrabbit.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rc5bc4d... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rc5bc4ddb0deabf8cfb69378cecee56fcdc76929bea9e6373cb863870@%3Cdev.jackrabbit.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rca3793... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rca37935d661f4689cb4119f1b3b224413b22be161b678e6e6ce0c69b@%3Ccommits.nifi.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/re3a404... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/re3a4048e9515d4afea416df907a612ed384a16c57cf99e97ee4a12f2@%3Cdev.jackrabbit.apache.org%3E
Zookeeper Security Information SECURITY
https://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4214
Zookeeper Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2020.html
Zookeeper Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/104253
Zookeeper Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1040948

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-8012?
CVE-2018-8012 is a security vulnerability in Zookeeper involving Missing Authorization in Apache ZooKeeper under CWE-862: Missing Authorization.
Which Zookeeper versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.4.10, 3.5.4-beta across affected packages: org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper.
What version fixes CVE-2018-8012?
Upgrading to 3.4.10, 3.5.4-beta (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is zookeeper affected?
Yes, org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper is affected in releases prior to 3.4.10, 3.5.4-beta. Upgrade your dependency to 3.4.10, 3.5.4-beta or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-8012?
CVE-2018-8012 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-8012?
CVE-2018-8012 is classified under CWE-862: Missing Authorization (The product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2018-8012?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.zookeeper'. 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-ccqf-c5hq-77mp",
  "modified" : "2022-06-29T19:03:52Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:05:57Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-8012" ],
  "summary" : "Missing Authorization in Apache ZooKeeper",
  "details" : "No authentication/authorization is enforced when a server attempts to join a quorum in Apache ZooKeeper before 3.4.10, and 3.5.0-alpha through 3.5.3-beta. As a result an arbitrary end point could join the cluster and begin propagating counterfeit changes to the leader.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.4.10"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 3.4.9"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.5.0-alpha"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.5.4-beta"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 3.5.3-beta"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-8012"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/053d9ce4d579b02203db18545fee5e33f35f2932885459b74d1e4272@%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/bcce5a9c532b386c68dab2f6b3ce8b0cc9b950ec551766e76391caa3@%3Ccommits.nifi.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/c75147028c1c79bdebd4f8fa5db2b77da85de2b05ecc0d54d708b393@%3Cdev.zookeeper.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r73daf1fc5d85677d9a854707e1908d14e174b7bbb0c603709c0ab33f@%3Coak-commits.jackrabbit.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r8f0d920805af93033c488af89104e2d682662bacfb8406db865d5e14@%3Cdev.jackrabbit.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rc5bc4ddb0deabf8cfb69378cecee56fcdc76929bea9e6373cb863870@%3Cdev.jackrabbit.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rca37935d661f4689cb4119f1b3b224413b22be161b678e6e6ce0c69b@%3Ccommits.nifi.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/re3a4048e9515d4afea416df907a612ed384a16c57cf99e97ee4a12f2@%3Cdev.jackrabbit.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4214"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2020.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/104253"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1040948"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-862" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-06-29T19:03:52Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-05-21T19:29:00Z"
  }
}