CVE-2023-38889: Alluxio parent Alluxio Vulnerable To Arbitrary Code Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-xrrh-h86w-pwfj
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-94
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-38889 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) alluxio vulnerable to arbitrary code vulnerability (CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')) affecting Alluxio parent libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves alluxio vulnerable to arbitrary code execution. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2023-38889 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-38889
GHSA Identifier GHSA-xrrh-h86w-pwfj
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
Affected Product Alluxio parent
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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:H/A:H).

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 High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2023-38889

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Alluxio parent 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.alluxio:alluxio-parent fixed: Latest secure release 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.alluxio</groupId>
    <artifactId>alluxio-parent</artifactId>
    <version>Latest secure release</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.alluxio

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2023-38889, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.alluxio

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

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.alluxio 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-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment. In Alluxio parent, 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

An issue in Alluxio v.2.9.3 and before allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code via a crafted script to the username parameter of lluxio.util.CommonUtils.getUnixGroups(java.lang.String).

CVE-2023-38889 Affected Alluxio parent Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.alluxio:alluxio-parent
maven/org.alluxio/alluxio-parent
Maven
≤ 2.9.3

References

NVD — CVE-2023-38889 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-38889
Alluxio parent Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/Alluxio/alluxio/issues/17766
Alluxio parent Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/Alluxio/alluxio

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-38889?
CVE-2023-38889 is a security vulnerability in Alluxio parent involving Alluxio vulnerable to arbitrary code execution under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection').
Which Alluxio parent versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: org.alluxio:alluxio-parent.
What version fixes CVE-2023-38889?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is alluxio-parent affected?
Yes, org.alluxio:alluxio-parent is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-38889?
CVE-2023-38889 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-38889?
CVE-2023-38889 is classified under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2023-38889?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.alluxio'. 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-xrrh-h86w-pwfj",
  "modified" : "2023-08-24T22:03:57Z",
  "published" : "2023-08-15T18:31:32Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-38889" ],
  "summary" : "Alluxio vulnerable to arbitrary code execution",
  "details" : "An issue in Alluxio v.2.9.3 and before allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code via a crafted script to the username parameter of lluxio.util.CommonUtils.getUnixGroups(java.lang.String).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.alluxio:alluxio-parent"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "2.9.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-38889"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Alluxio/alluxio/issues/17766"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Alluxio/alluxio"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-94" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-08-15T20:01:44Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-08-15T17:15:11Z"
  }
}