dbcve.org
IgniteApplication · Apache

CVE-2018-8018

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-07-20
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.4.8 / 2.5.3 or later.
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 Apache Ignite before 2.4.8 and 2.5.x before 2.5.3, the serialization mechanism does not have a list of classes allowed for serialization/deserialization, which makes it possible to run arbitrary code when 3-rd party vulnerable classes are present in Ignite classpath. The vulnerability can be exploited if the one sends a specially prepared form of a serialized object to GridClientJdkMarshaller deserialization endpoint.

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

Apache Ignite's GridClientJdkMarshaller lacks a whitelist of allowed classes during serialization/deserialization, allowing attackers to send specially crafted malicious serialized objects that execute arbitrary code on the target system.

MitigationUpgrade Apache Ignite to version 2.4.8, 2.5.3 or later which implements class whitelisting for serialization. If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict network access to client-facing deserialization endpoints.

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
IgniteApplication
Affected:< 2.4.8> 2.5.0, < 2.5.3

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. Identify Apache Ignite version
    Locate the ignite-core JAR file in your installation directory and check its version, or run: java -cp ignite-core.jar org.apache.ignite.internal.util.IgniteUtils 2>&1 | grep 'Ignite Build Info' or inspect META-INF/MANIFEST.MF inside the JAR
    Affected if The installed version is less than 2.4.8, or greater than 2.5.0 and less than 2.5.3
  2. Find GridClientJdkMarshaller usage
    Search configuration XML files (e.g., ignite.xml, spring-ignite.xml) and Java classpath for 'GridClientJdkMarshaller' or 'JdkMarshaller' class references. Also check client connection code for marshaller configuration.
    Affected if GridClientJdkMarshaller is explicitly configured or used as the default marshaller for client-server communication
  3. Check if client deserialization is enabled
    Inspect Ignite configuration for 'TcpRestProtocol' or 'TcpBinaryProtocol' being enabled, and review any ConnectorConfiguration or client connector ports (typically 10800, 11211, 47100) that accept binary data
    Affected if Client-facing binary protocols (REST, thin client, or binary port) are open and processing serialized objects from untrusted sources
  4. Verify class whitelist configuration
    Search configuration for 'gridClientMarshallingBlackList', 'jdkUnmarshalBlackList', or 'classNamesRegex' settings. Also check if system properties like 'IGNITE_JDK_MARSHALLER_USE_BLACKLIST' are set
    Affected if No whitelist is configured (meaning all classes can be deserialized) and the JdkMarshaller is in use
  5. Confirm network exposure
    Review firewall rules, iptables, or network ACLs controlling access to Ignite client ports. Check if endpoints are bound to 0.0.0.0 (all interfaces) vs 127.0.0.1 (localhost only)
    Affected if Ignite client ports accept connections from untrusted network segments or the internet

You are affected if you run Apache Ignite version 2.4.8 or earlier, or between 2.5.1 and 2.5.2, AND have GridClientJdkMarshaller enabled with exposed client deserialization endpoints accessible from untrusted networks.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 2.4.8 / 2.5.3 or later
Fixed in 2.4.82.5.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Apache Ignite to version 2.4.8, 2.5.3 or later which implements class whitelisting for serialization. If immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict network access to client-facing deserialization endpoints.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apache Ignite 2.4.8 or 2.5.3

  1. Identify your current Apache Ignite version using binary or build configuration
  2. Download Apache Ignite version 2.4.8 (for 2.4.x line) or version 2.5.3 (for 2.5.x line) from the official Apache Ignite releases
  3. Replace existing ignite-core and related JAR files with the new version
  4. Rebuild and redeploy any applications or nodes using the updated libraries
  5. Restart all Ignite nodes and client applications to load the fixed version
  6. Verify the upgrade by checking that the GridClientJdkMarshaller now properly restricts allowed classes

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

Fix this in Ignite Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation6.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
27.0 hours of engineering $4,800
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,680.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-8018 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2018-8018 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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