CVE-2023-44981: Zookeeper Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-7286-pgfv-vxvh
Share
CVSS 9.1
CWE-639
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-44981 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.1) authorization bypass through user-controlled key vulnerability (CWE-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key) affecting Zookeeper libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves authorization bypass through user-controlled key vulnerability in apache zookeeper. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.7.2, 3.8.3, 3.9.1.

CVE-2023-44981 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-44981
GHSA Identifier GHSA-7286-pgfv-vxvh
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.1
CWE Classification CWE-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key
Affected Product Zookeeper
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.1

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

How to Fix CVE-2023-44981

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: 3.7.2 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.zookeeper</groupId>
    <artifactId>zookeeper</artifactId>
    <version>3.7.2</version>
</dependency>
org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper fixed: 3.8.3 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.zookeeper</groupId>
    <artifactId>zookeeper</artifactId>
    <version>3.8.3</version>
</dependency>
org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper fixed: 3.9.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.zookeeper</groupId>
    <artifactId>zookeeper</artifactId>
    <version>3.9.1</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-2023-44981, 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 3.7.2), 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-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key, where the system's authorization functionality does not prevent one user from gaining access to another user's data or record by modifying the key value identifying the data. 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

Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in Apache ZooKeeper. If SASL Quorum Peer authentication is enabled in ZooKeeper (quorum.auth.enableSasl=true), the authorization is done by verifying that the instance part in SASL authentication ID is listed in zoo.cfg server list. The instance part in SASL auth ID is optional and if it's missing, like 'eve@EXAMPLE.COM', the authorization check will be skipped. As a result an arbitrary endpoint could join the cluster and begin propagating counterfeit changes to the leader, essentially giving it complete read-write access to the data tree. Quorum Peer authentication is not enabled by default. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 3.9.1, 3.8.3, 3.7.2, which fixes the issue. Alternately ensure the ensemble election/quorum communication is protected by a firewall as this will mitigate the issue. See the documentation for more details on correct cluster administration.

CVE-2023-44981 Affected Zookeeper Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.7.23.8.33.9.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper
maven/org.apache.zookeeper/zookeeper
Maven
< 3.7.2
3.7.2
org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper
maven/org.apache.zookeeper/zookeeper
Maven
≥ 3.8.0
< 3.8.3
3.8.3
org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper
maven/org.apache.zookeeper/zookeeper
Maven
≥ 3.9.0
< 3.9.1
3.9.1

References

NVD — CVE-2023-44981 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-44981
Zookeeper Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/zookeeper
lists.apache.org/thread/wf0yrk84dg19... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread/wf0yrk84dg1942z1o74kd8nycg6pgm5b
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/10/msg00029.html
Zookeeper Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240621-0007
Zookeeper Security Information SECURITY
https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5544
Zookeeper Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/11/4

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-44981?
CVE-2023-44981 is a security vulnerability in Zookeeper involving Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in Apache ZooKeeper under CWE-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key.
Which Zookeeper versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.7.2, 3.8.3, 3.9.1 across affected packages: org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper.
What version fixes CVE-2023-44981?
Upgrading to 3.7.2, 3.8.3, 3.9.1 (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 3.7.2, 3.8.3, 3.9.1. Upgrade your dependency to 3.7.2, 3.8.3, 3.9.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-44981?
CVE-2023-44981 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-44981?
CVE-2023-44981 is classified under CWE-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key (The system's authorization functionality does not prevent one user from gaining access to another user's data or record by modifying the key value identifying the data.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2023-44981?
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-7286-pgfv-vxvh",
  "modified" : "2025-02-13T19:18:13Z",
  "published" : "2023-10-11T12:30:27Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-44981" ],
  "summary" : "Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in Apache ZooKeeper",
  "details" : "Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in Apache ZooKeeper. If SASL Quorum Peer authentication is enabled in ZooKeeper (quorum.auth.enableSasl=true), the authorization is done by verifying that the instance part in SASL authentication ID is listed in zoo.cfg server list. The instance part in SASL auth ID is optional and if it's missing, like 'eve@EXAMPLE.COM', the authorization check will be skipped. As a result an arbitrary endpoint could join the cluster and begin propagating counterfeit changes to the leader, essentially giving it complete read-write access to the data tree. Quorum Peer authentication is not enabled by default.\n\nUsers are recommended to upgrade to version 3.9.1, 3.8.3, 3.7.2, which fixes the issue.\n\nAlternately ensure the ensemble election/quorum communication is protected by a firewall as this will mitigate the issue.\n\nSee the documentation for more details on correct cluster administration.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.7.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.8.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.8.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.9.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.9.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-44981"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/zookeeper"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread/wf0yrk84dg1942z1o74kd8nycg6pgm5b"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/10/msg00029.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20240621-0007"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5544"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/11/4"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-639" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-10-11T20:36:50Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-10-11T12:15:11Z"
  }
}