HadoopApplication · Apache

CVE-2018-11767

HIGH · 7.4 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-03-21

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.9.1 or later.

See remediation →

83/100

Remediation priority · High

Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

In Apache Hadoop 2.9.0 to 2.9.1, 2.8.3 to 2.8.4, 2.7.5 to 2.7.6, KMS blocking users or granting access to users incorrectly, if the system uses non-default groups mapping mechanisms.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

Apache Hadoop's Key Management Server (KMS) incorrectly handles access control decisions—blocking or granting user access—when non-default group mapping mechanisms are configured, allowing unauthorized access to encrypted data or improper denial of legitimate access.

MitigationUpgrade Hadoop to versions 2.9.2, 2.8.5, 2.7.7 or later, and verify that group mapping configuration aligns with the intended access control policies.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

HadoopApplication

Affected:>= 2.7.5, <= 2.7.6>= 2.8.3, <= 2.8.4>= 2.9.0, <= 2.9.1

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: High
Privileges: None
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: None
Availability: High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Identify Hadoop KMS installation

Check if the Hadoop KMS (kms.sh or kms-daemon.sh process) is running on your cluster. Look for processes named 'kms' or check for the presence of $HADOOP_HOME/sbin/kms.sh. Alternatively, search for 'kms' in core-site.xml configuration files.

Affected if KMS is not present or not in use, the vulnerability does not apply.
Determine installed Hadoop version

Run 'hdfs version' or 'hadoop version' on any Namenode or edge node, or check the hadoop-common*.jar MANIFEST.MF file. The version is typically displayed as something like 2.9.1 or 2.8.4.

Affected if The version falls within 2.7.5-2.7.6, 2.8.3-2.8.4, or 2.9.0-2.9.1.
Verify non-default group mapping is configured

Examine core-site.xml for properties starting with 'hadoop.security.group.mapping' such as 'hadoop.security.group.mapping.ldap.url' or 'hadoop.security.group.mapping.ldap.search.filter.user'. Also check for any custom GroupMapping implementations in the classpath. The default is org.apache.hadoop.security.LdapGroupsMapping with Unix-based group resolution.

Affected if A non-default group mapping mechanism (LDAP, AD, custom, etc.) is configured rather than using the operating system's default group resolution.
Review KMS access control policy configuration

Inspect the kms-site.xml file (or core-site.xml) for KMS-related properties: 'hadoop.kms.authentication.kerberos.keytab', 'hadoop.kms.authentication.kerberos.principal', and specifically 'hadoop.kms.cache.enable' along with 'hadoop.kms.acl' to see if ACLs are defined. Check whether the KMS audit logs show unexpected access patterns.

Affected if KMS is configured with ACL-based access control and the group mapping misconfiguration could cause incorrect allow/deny decisions for encryption zone or key operations.

You are affected if you run a vulnerable Hadoop version (2.7.5-2.7.6, 2.8.3-2.8.4, or 2.9.0-2.9.1) with the KMS service enabled and have non-default group mapping (LDAP, custom, etc.) configured for access control decisions.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

From vendor data

Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2.9.1

Interim mitigation

Upgrade Hadoop to versions 2.9.2, 2.8.5, 2.7.7 or later, and verify that group mapping configuration aligns with the intended access control policies.

Fix this in Hadoop Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation4.0 h
Implementation8.0 h
Testing6.0 h
Review / QA2.0 h

20.0 hours of engineering $3,500

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Scan for this in your stack

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References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-11767 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2018-11767?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here

Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to after 2.9.1 or later

Severity 7.4 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 3.7%

Affects: Hadoop

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Hadoop 20 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $3,500

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2018-11767 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

Check your environment

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References