dbcve.org
Grid EngineApplication · Univa

CVE-2018-20871

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2019-07-30
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
In Univa Grid Engine before 8.6.3, when configured for Docker jobs and execd spooling on root_squash, weak file permissions ("other" write access) occur in certain cases (GE-6890).

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 confidence

Univa Grid Engine before version 8.6.3 has weak file permissions when configured for Docker jobs with execd spooling on root_squash NFS mounts. The vulnerability exposes files with 'other' write access, allowing unprivileged users to modify files that should be protected by root_squash, potentially enabling privilege escalation or code execution as root.

MitigationUpgrade to Univa Grid Engine 8.6.3 or later to receive the fix for GE-6890. Alternatively, audit and restrict file permissions on execd spooling directories to remove 'other' write access and ensure root_squash protection is enforced.

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
Grid EngineApplication
Affected:= 8.6.3

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.

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 checks

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

  1. Check Univa Grid Engine version
    Run 'qstat -help' or check the installed package version using your system package manager (dpkg, rpm, etc.) to determine the installed version of Univa Grid Engine.
    Affected if The installed version is earlier than 8.6.3.
  2. Verify Docker job configuration
    Inspect the Grid Engine configuration files (typically in $SGE_ROOT or /etc/gridengine) and check if Docker execution or container support is enabled in the queue configuration or execd configuration.
    Affected if Docker jobs or container execution is configured and enabled.
  3. Confirm execd spooling is in use
    Check the execd (execution daemon) spooling configuration in the Grid Engine configuration, typically found in the 'execd_params' or similar configuration files. Look for the 'execd_spool_dir' parameter setting.
    Affected if Execd spooling is configured and active.
  4. Identify NFS mount with root_squash for spooling
    Determine the actual filesystem location of the execd spooling directory (from step 3), then use 'mount' or 'df -h' commands to verify if this path resides on an NFS mount. Check the NFS export settings on the server side for 'root_squash' or 'no_root_squash' options.
    Affected if The spooling directory is located on an NFS mount with root_squash enabled.
  5. Inspect file permissions on spooling directories
    Use 'ls -la' or 'getfacl' on the execd spooling directory and its contents to check for 'other' write permissions (o+w or permission bits ending in odd numbers for 'other' write).
    Affected if Files or directories in the spooling area have 'other' write permissions enabled, allowing unprivileged users to modify protected files.

You are affected if Univa Grid Engine version is earlier than 8.6.3, Docker job support is enabled, execd spooling is used on an NFS mount with root_squash, and files in the spooling directory have 'other' write access permissions.

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

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to Univa Grid Engine 8.6.3 or later to receive the fix for GE-6890. Alternatively, audit and restrict file permissions on execd spooling directories to remove 'other' write access and ensure root_squash protection is enforced.

Recommended fix High confidence

8.6.3 or later

  1. Upgrade Univa Grid Engine to version 8.6.3 or later to resolve the weak file permissions issue (GE-6890)
  2. After upgrade, verify that file permissions on execd spooling directories no longer allow 'other' write access
  3. If using root_squash with Docker jobs, confirm proper permission inheritance is working as expected
Caveat Standard enterprise upgrade - test in non-production environment first to verify compatibility with existing job configurations and any custom integrations

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Grid Engine Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-20871 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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