CVE-2020-17516: Cassandra all Authentication Bypass Vulnerability
HIGHCVE-2020-17516 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) authentication bypass vulnerability (CWE-290: Authentication Bypass by Spoofing) affecting Cassandra all libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves authentication bypass in apache cassandra. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.0.24, 3.11.10.
CVE-2020-17516 at a Glance
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:H/I:N/A:N).
How to Fix CVE-2020-17516
To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Cassandra all dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.
<dependency>
<groupId>org.apache.cassandra</groupId>
<artifactId>cassandra-all</artifactId>
<version>3.0.24</version>
</dependency><dependency>
<groupId>org.apache.cassandra</groupId>
<artifactId>cassandra-all</artifactId>
<version>3.11.10</version>
</dependency>Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.cassandraHow to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-17516, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.cassandraAnalyze the terminal output to locate any version of Cassandra all in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.0.24), your application is affected.
Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.cassandra 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-290: Authentication Bypass by Spoofing, where this attack-focused weakness is caused by incorrectly implemented authentication schemes that are subject to spoofing attacks. In Cassandra all, 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
CVE-2020-17516 Affected Cassandra all Versions
2 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all
|
Maven |
≥ 2.1.0
< 3.0.24
|
3.0.24
|
|
org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all
|
Maven |
≥ 3.11.0
< 3.11.10
|
3.11.10
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2020-17516?
Which Cassandra all versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2020-17516?
Is cassandra-all affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-17516?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-17516?
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-17516?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-2vxm-vp4c-fjfw",
"modified" : "2022-02-09T01:01:22Z",
"published" : "2022-02-09T01:01:22Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-17516" ],
"summary" : "Authentication Bypass in Apache Cassandra",
"details" : "Apache Cassandra versions 2.1.0 to 2.1.22, 2.2.0 to 2.2.19, 3.0.0 to 3.0.23, and 3.11.0 to 3.11.9, when using 'dc' or 'rack' internode_encryption setting, allows both encrypted and unencrypted internode connections. A misconfigured node or a malicious user can use the unencrypted connection despite not being in the same rack or dc, and bypass mutual TLS requirement.",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "2.1.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "3.0.24"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "3.11.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "3.11.10"
} ]
} ]
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-17516"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r81243a412a37a22211754936a13856af07cc68a93d728c52807486e9@%3Ccommits.cassandra.apache.org%3E"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rcb16f36cafa184dd159e94033f87d0fc274c4752d467f3a09f2ceae4@%3Ccommits.cassandra.apache.org%3E"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rd84bec24907617bdb72f7ec907cd7437a0fd5a8886eb55aa84dd1eb8@%3Ccommits.cassandra.apache.org%3E"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210521-0002"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "http://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/cassandra-user/202102.mbox/%3c6E4340A5-D7BE-4D33-9EC5-3B505A626D8D@apache.org%3e"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-290" ],
"severity" : "HIGH",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2021-04-02T22:58:25Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2021-02-03T17:15:00Z"
}
}