CVE-2023-26031: Hadoop yarn project Apache Hadoop Allows Local User Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-94jh-j374-9r3j
CVSS 7.5
CWE-426
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-26031 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) apache hadoop allows local user vulnerability (CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path) affecting Hadoop yarn project libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves apache hadoop allows local user to gain root privileges. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.3.5.

CVE-2023-26031 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-26031
GHSA Identifier GHSA-94jh-j374-9r3j
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path
Affected Product Hadoop yarn project
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:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
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-2023-26031

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Hadoop yarn project 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-yarn-project fixed: 3.3.5
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.hadoop</groupId>
    <artifactId>hadoop-yarn-project</artifactId>
    <version>3.3.5</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-2023-26031, 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 yarn project in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.3.5), 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 CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path, where the product searches for critical resources using an externally-supplied search path that can point to resources that are not under the product's direct control. In Hadoop yarn project, 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

Relative library resolution in linux container-executor binary in Apache Hadoop 3.3.1-3.3.4 on Linux allows local user to gain root privileges. If the YARN cluster is accepting work from remote (authenticated) users, this MAY permit remote users to gain root privileges. Hadoop 3.3.0 updated the " YARN Secure Containers https://hadoop.apache.org/docs/stable/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-site/SecureContainer.html " to add a feature for executing user-submitted applications in isolated linux containers. The native binary HADOOP_HOME/bin/container-executor is used to launch these containers; it must be owned by root and have the suid bit set in order for the YARN processes to run the containers as the specific users submitting the jobs. The patch " YARN-10495 https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/YARN-10495 . make the rpath of container-executor configurable" modified the library loading path for loading .so files from "$ORIGIN/" to ""$ORIGIN/:../lib/native/". This is the a path through which libcrypto.so is located. Thus it is is possible for a user with reduced privileges to install a malicious libcrypto library into a path to which they have write access, invoke the container-executor command, and have their modified library executed as root. If the YARN cluster is accepting work from remote (authenticated) users, and these users' submitted job are executed in the physical host, rather than a container, then the CVE permits remote users to gain root privileges. The fix for the vulnerability is to revert the change, which is done in YARN-11441 https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/YARN-11441 , "Revert YARN-10495". This patch is in hadoop-3.3.5. To determine whether a version of container-executor is vulnerable, use the readelf command. If the RUNPATH or RPATH value contains the relative path "./lib/native/" then it is at risk $ readelf -d container-executor|grep 'RUNPATH\|RPATH' 0x000000000000001d (RUNPATH)           Library runpath: [$ORIGIN/:../lib/native/] If it does not, then it is safe: $ readelf -d container-executor|grep 'RUNPATH\|RPATH' 0x000000000000001d (RUNPATH)           Library runpath: [$ORIGIN/] For an at-risk version of container-executor to enable privilege escalation, the owner must be root and the suid bit must be set $ ls -laF /opt/hadoop/bin/container-executor ---Sr-s---. 1 root hadoop 802968 May 9 20:21 /opt/hadoop/bin/container-executor A safe installation lacks the suid bit; ideally is also not owned by root. $ ls -laF /opt/hadoop/bin/container-executor -rwxr-xr-x. 1 yarn hadoop 802968 May 9 20:21 /opt/hadoop/bin/container-executor This configuration does not support Yarn Secure Containers, but all other hadoop services, including YARN job execution outside secure containers continue to work.

CVE-2023-26031 Affected Hadoop yarn project Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.3.5
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.hadoop:hadoop-yarn-project
Maven
≥ 3.3.1
< 3.3.5
3.3.5

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-26031?
CVE-2023-26031 is a security vulnerability in Hadoop yarn project involving Apache Hadoop allows local user to gain root privileges under CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path.
Which Hadoop yarn project versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.3.5 across affected packages: org.apache.hadoop:hadoop-yarn-project.
What version fixes CVE-2023-26031?
Upgrading to 3.3.5 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is hadoop-yarn-project affected?
Yes, org.apache.hadoop:hadoop-yarn-project is affected in releases prior to 3.3.5. Upgrade your dependency to 3.3.5 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-26031?
CVE-2023-26031 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-26031?
CVE-2023-26031 is classified under CWE-426: Untrusted Search Path (The product searches for critical resources using an externally-supplied search path that can point to resources that are not under the product's direct control.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2023-26031?
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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-94jh-j374-9r3j",
  "modified" : "2025-01-10T15:53:10Z",
  "published" : "2023-11-16T09:30:24Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-26031" ],
  "summary" : "Apache Hadoop allows local user to gain root privileges",
  "details" : "Relative library resolution in linux container-executor binary in Apache Hadoop 3.3.1-3.3.4 on Linux allows local user to gain root privileges. If the YARN cluster is accepting work from remote (authenticated) users, this MAY permit remote users to gain root privileges.\n\nHadoop 3.3.0 updated the \" YARN Secure Containers https://hadoop.apache.org/docs/stable/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-site/SecureContainer.html \" to add a feature for executing user-submitted applications in isolated linux containers.\n\nThe native binary HADOOP_HOME/bin/container-executor is used to launch these containers; it must be owned by root and have the suid bit set in order for the YARN processes to run the containers as the specific users submitting the jobs.\n\nThe patch \" YARN-10495 https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/YARN-10495 . make the rpath of container-executor configurable\" modified the library loading path for loading .so files from \"$ORIGIN/\" to \"\"$ORIGIN/:../lib/native/\". This is the a path through which libcrypto.so is located. Thus it is is possible for a user with reduced privileges to install a malicious libcrypto library into a path to which they have write access, invoke the container-executor command, and have their modified library executed as root.\nIf the YARN cluster is accepting work from remote (authenticated) users, and these users' submitted job are executed in the physical host, rather than a container, then the CVE permits remote users to gain root privileges.\n\nThe fix for the vulnerability is to revert the change, which is done in  YARN-11441 https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/YARN-11441 , \"Revert YARN-10495\". This patch is in hadoop-3.3.5.\n\nTo determine whether a version of container-executor is vulnerable, use the readelf command. If the RUNPATH or RPATH value contains the relative path \"./lib/native/\" then it  is at risk\n\n$ readelf -d container-executor|grep 'RUNPATH\\|RPATH' \n0x000000000000001d (RUNPATH)            Library runpath: [$ORIGIN/:../lib/native/]\n\nIf it does not, then it is safe:\n\n$ readelf -d container-executor|grep 'RUNPATH\\|RPATH' \n0x000000000000001d (RUNPATH)            Library runpath: [$ORIGIN/]\n\nFor an at-risk version of container-executor to enable privilege escalation, the owner must be root and the suid bit must be set\n\n$ ls -laF /opt/hadoop/bin/container-executor\n---Sr-s---. 1 root hadoop 802968 May 9 20:21 /opt/hadoop/bin/container-executor\n\nA safe installation lacks the suid bit; ideally is also not owned by root.\n\n$ ls -laF /opt/hadoop/bin/container-executor\n-rwxr-xr-x. 1 yarn hadoop 802968 May 9 20:21 /opt/hadoop/bin/container-executor\n\nThis configuration does not support Yarn Secure Containers, but all other hadoop services, including YARN job execution outside secure containers continue to work.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  }, {
    "type" : "CVSS_V4",
    "score" : "CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.hadoop:hadoop-yarn-project"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.3.1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.3.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-26031"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/hadoop/commit/10e7ca481c8cd0548d903d39d8581291e533bf12"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/hadoop/commit/7d3c8ef6064efd132828765e52e961977aebbf47"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/hadoop"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://hadoop.apache.org/cve_list.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/YARN-11441"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread/q9qpdlv952gb4kphpndd5phvl7fkh71r"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240112-0001"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-426" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-11-16T21:02:11Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-11-16T09:15:06Z"
  }
}