CVE-2021-34538: Hive Apache Hive Before 3.1.3 `CREATE` Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-v3p8-j597-3xg8
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-306
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-34538 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) apache hive before 3.1.3 `create` vulnerability (CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function) affecting Hive libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves apache hive before 3.1.3 `create` and `drop` function operations do not check for necessary authorization.. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.1.3.

CVE-2021-34538 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-34538
GHSA Identifier GHSA-v3p8-j597-3xg8
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function
Affected Product Hive
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-2021-34538

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Hive 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.hive:hive fixed: 3.1.3 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.hive</groupId>
    <artifactId>hive</artifactId>
    <version>3.1.3</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.hive

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2021-34538, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

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

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Hive in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.1.3), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.hive 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-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function, where the product does not perform any authentication for functionality that requires a provable user identity or consumes a significant amount of resources. In Hive, 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

Apache Hive before 3.1.3 `CREATE` and `DROP` function operations do not check for necessary authorization of involved entities in the query. It was found that an unauthorized user can manipulate an existing UDF without having the privileges to do so. This allowed unauthorized or underprivileged users to drop and recreate UDFs pointing them to new jars that could be potentially malicious.

CVE-2021-34538 Affected Hive Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.1.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.hive:hive
maven/org.apache.hive/hive
Maven
< 3.1.3
3.1.3

References

NVD — CVE-2021-34538 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-34538
Hive Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/hive
lists.apache.org/thread/oqqgnhz4c6nx... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread/oqqgnhz4c6nxsfd0xstosnk0g15f7354

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-34538?
CVE-2021-34538 is a security vulnerability in Hive involving Apache Hive before 3.1.3 `CREATE` and `DROP` function operations do not check for necessary authorization. under CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function.
Which Hive versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.1.3 across affected packages: org.apache.hive:hive.
What version fixes CVE-2021-34538?
Upgrading to 3.1.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is hive affected?
Yes, org.apache.hive:hive is affected in releases prior to 3.1.3. Upgrade your dependency to 3.1.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-34538?
CVE-2021-34538 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-2021-34538?
CVE-2021-34538 is classified under CWE-306: Missing Authentication for Critical Function (The product does not perform any authentication for functionality that requires a provable user identity or consumes a significant amount of resources.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-34538?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.hive'. 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-v3p8-j597-3xg8",
  "modified" : "2022-07-22T16:28:26Z",
  "published" : "2022-07-17T00:00:45Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-34538" ],
  "summary" : "Apache Hive before 3.1.3 `CREATE` and `DROP` function operations do not check for necessary authorization.",
  "details" : "Apache Hive before 3.1.3 `CREATE` and `DROP` function operations do not check for necessary authorization of involved entities in the query. It was found that an unauthorized user can manipulate an existing UDF without having the privileges to do so. This allowed unauthorized or underprivileged users to drop and recreate UDFs pointing them to new jars that could be potentially malicious.",
  "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.hive:hive"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-34538"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/hive"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread/oqqgnhz4c6nxsfd0xstosnk0g15f7354"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-306" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-07-21T21:37:21Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-07-16T07:15:00Z"
  }
}