StormApplication · Apache
CVE-2018-11779
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.
NVD · uneditedIn Apache Storm versions 1.1.0 to 1.2.2, when the user is using the storm-kafka-client or storm-kafka modules, it is possible to cause the Storm UI daemon to deserialize user provided bytes into a Java class.
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.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceIn Apache Storm versions 1.1.0 to 1.2.2, the storm-kafka-client and storm-kafka modules allow the Storm UI daemon to deserialize user-supplied bytes into an arbitrary Java class, enabling potential remote code execution via insecure deserialization (CWE-502).
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
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.
NVD · CPE data
StormApplication
>= 1.1.0, <= 1.2.2CVSS 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.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Apache Storm installation and versionLocate the Storm installation directory (common paths: /opt/storm, /usr/local/storm, or check environment variables STORM_HOME). Look for a VERSION or version.txt file in the installation root, or run 'storm version' command if storm is in PATHAffected if The installed version falls within 1.1.0 to 1.2.2 inclusive
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Confirm storm-kafka-client or storm-kafka module is presentSearch for storm-kafka*.jar files in the Storm lib directory (typically <storm_home>/lib). Use command: find <storm_home> -name 'storm-kafka*.jar' or ls <storm_home>/lib | grep storm-kafkaAffected if Either storm-kafka-client or storm-kafka jar files exist in the Storm lib directory
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Verify Storm UI daemon is enabledCheck the Storm configuration file (typically storm.yaml or defaults.yaml in the conf directory). Look for 'ui.enabled' setting or check if the storm-ui.jar exists in the lib directoryAffected if Storm UI is enabled (ui.enabled: true or not explicitly set to false) and the UI daemon is running
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Check for exposed Kafka consumer deserialization endpointsReview any custom topologies or Kafka spout/bolt configurations that deserialize data from Kafka topics. Examine topology configurations for any use of insecure deserialization settings in Kafka consumer propertiesAffected if Topologies or configurations accept deserialized Java objects from Kafka topics without filtering
You are affected if Apache Storm version 1.1.0 through 1.2.2 is installed, the storm-kafka-client or storm-kafka module is present, and the Storm UI daemon is accessible or topologies deserialize untrusted Kafka data.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataUpgrade Apache Storm to version 1.2.3 or later, which contains the fix for this insecure deserialization vulnerability in the Kafka modules.
Fix this in Storm
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,656.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-11779 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-11779 in production — separate from our analysis above.
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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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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