CVE-2024-23944: Zookeeper Apache ZooKeeper Vulnerable To Information Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-r978-9m6m-6gm6
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CVSS 5.3
CWE-862 CWE-200
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2024-23944 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.3) apache zookeeper vulnerable to information vulnerability (CWE-862: Missing Authorization) affecting Zookeeper libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves apache zookeeper vulnerable to information disclosure in persistent watchers handling. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.8.4, 3.9.2.

CVE-2024-23944 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2024-23944
GHSA Identifier GHSA-r978-9m6m-6gm6
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.3
CWE Classification CWE-862: Missing Authorization
Affected Product Zookeeper
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.3

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2024-23944

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: 3.8.4 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.zookeeper</groupId>
    <artifactId>zookeeper</artifactId>
    <version>3.8.4</version>
</dependency>
org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper fixed: 3.9.2 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.zookeeper</groupId>
    <artifactId>zookeeper</artifactId>
    <version>3.9.2</version>
</dependency>
org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper fixed: Latest secure release 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.zookeeper</groupId>
    <artifactId>zookeeper</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.apache.zookeeper

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2024-23944, 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 3.8.4), 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-862: Missing Authorization, where the product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action. 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

Information disclosure in persistent watchers handling in Apache ZooKeeper due to missing ACL check. It allows an attacker to monitor child znodes by attaching a persistent watcher (addWatch command) to a parent which the attacker has already access to. ZooKeeper server doesn't do ACL check when the persistent watcher is triggered and as a consequence, the full path of znodes that a watch event gets triggered upon is exposed to the owner of the watcher. It's important to note that only the path is exposed by this vulnerability, not the data of znode, but since znode path can contain sensitive information like user name or login ID, this issue is potentially critical. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 3.9.2, 3.8.4 which fixes the issue.

CVE-2024-23944 Affected Zookeeper Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.8.43.9.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper
maven/org.apache.zookeeper/zookeeper
Maven
≥ 3.8.0
< 3.8.4
3.8.4
org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper
maven/org.apache.zookeeper/zookeeper
Maven
≥ 3.9.0
< 3.9.2
3.9.2
org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper
maven/org.apache.zookeeper/zookeeper
Maven
≥ 3.6.0
≤ 3.7.2

References

NVD — CVE-2024-23944 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-23944
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/apache/zookeeper/commit/29c7b9462681f47c2ac12e609341cf9f52abac5c
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/apache/zookeeper/commit/65b91d2d9a56157285c2a86b106e67c26520b01d
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/apache/zookeeper/commit/daf7cfd04005cff1a4f7cab5ab13d41db88d0cd8
Zookeeper Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/zookeeper
lists.apache.org/thread/96s5nqssj03r... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread/96s5nqssj03rznz9hv58txdb2k1lr79k
Zookeeper Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/03/14/2

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-23944?
CVE-2024-23944 is a security vulnerability in Zookeeper involving Apache ZooKeeper vulnerable to information disclosure in persistent watchers handling under CWE-862: Missing Authorization.
Which Zookeeper versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.8.4, 3.9.2 across affected packages: org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper.
What version fixes CVE-2024-23944?
Upgrading to 3.8.4, 3.9.2 (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 3.8.4, 3.9.2, Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to 3.8.4, 3.9.2, Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2024-23944?
CVE-2024-23944 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2024-23944?
CVE-2024-23944 is classified under CWE-862: Missing Authorization (The product does not perform an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2024-23944?
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-r978-9m6m-6gm6",
  "modified" : "2025-07-03T16:04:36Z",
  "published" : "2024-03-15T12:30:37Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2024-23944" ],
  "summary" : "Apache ZooKeeper vulnerable to information disclosure in persistent watchers handling",
  "details" : "Information disclosure in persistent watchers handling in Apache ZooKeeper due to missing ACL check. It allows an attacker to monitor child znodes by attaching a persistent watcher (addWatch command) to a parent which the attacker has already access to. ZooKeeper server doesn't do ACL check when the persistent watcher is triggered and as a consequence, the full path of znodes that a watch event gets triggered upon is exposed to the owner of the watcher. It's important to note that only the path is exposed by this vulnerability, not the data of znode, but since znode path can contain sensitive information like user name or login ID, this issue is potentially critical.\n\nUsers are recommended to upgrade to version 3.9.2, 3.8.4 which fixes the issue.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.8.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.8.4"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 3.8.3"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.9.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.9.2"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 3.9.1"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.6.0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "3.7.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-23944"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/zookeeper/commit/29c7b9462681f47c2ac12e609341cf9f52abac5c"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/zookeeper/commit/65b91d2d9a56157285c2a86b106e67c26520b01d"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/zookeeper/commit/daf7cfd04005cff1a4f7cab5ab13d41db88d0cd8"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/zookeeper"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread/96s5nqssj03rznz9hv58txdb2k1lr79k"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2024/03/14/2"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-200", "CWE-862" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-03-15T19:35:37Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2024-03-15T11:15:08Z"
  }
}