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ZeppelinApplication · Apache

CVE-2020-13929

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-09-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 0.9.0 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Authentication bypass vulnerability in Apache Zeppelin allows an attacker to bypass Zeppelin authentication mechanism to act as another user. This issue affects Apache Zeppelin Apache Zeppelin version 0.9.0 and prior versions.

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

Authentication bypass vulnerability in Apache Zeppelin allows an unauthenticated attacker to bypass the authentication mechanism and impersonate other users by exploiting weaknesses in the authentication flow.

MitigationUpgrade Apache Zeppelin to version 0.9.1 or later which contains the patch for this authentication bypass vulnerability.

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
ZeppelinApplication
Affected:<= 0.9.0

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
None
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N

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 Apache Zeppelin version
    Locate and inspect the Zeppelin installation directory or check the version file. Common methods include: checking the 'zeppelin-version' file in the installation root, running 'bin/zeppelin-daemon.sh --version', or querying the Zeppelin UI if accessible.
    Affected if The installed version is 0.9.0 or lower (any version <= 0.9.0)
  2. Confirm authentication is configured
    Inspect Zeppelin configuration files (typically in the 'conf' directory) for authentication settings. Look for files such as shiro.ini or configuration properties that enable authentication providers (LDAP, PAM, or native SSO).
    Affected if Authentication is enabled in the Zeppelin configuration - this means the bypass applies to a configured authentication mechanism
  3. Verify network exposure
    Determine if the Zeppelin web interface (default port 8080 or 8443) is accessible from untrusted networks. Check firewall rules, reverse proxy configurations, and binding addresses in Zeppelin settings.
    Affected if Zeppelin is accessible from networks other than trusted administrators - the vulnerability allows unauthenticated remote exploitation

You are affected if Apache Zeppelin version 0.9.0 or lower is installed with authentication configured, and the service is network-accessible to untrusted users.

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 a release after 0.9.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Apache Zeppelin to version 0.9.1 or later which contains the patch for this authentication bypass vulnerability.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Zeppelin 0.9.1 or later

  1. Check current Zeppelin version by reviewing the Zeppelin UI or checking the pom.xml/build.sbt configuration files
  2. Stop the Zeppelin server before upgrading
  3. Back up Zeppelin configurations, notebooks, and any custom interpreter settings
  4. Download Apache Zeppelin 0.9.1 or later from the official Apache download page (https://zeppelin.apache.org/download.html)
  5. Install the new version following the upgrade instructions in the Zeppelin documentation
  6. Review authentication configuration settings in zeppelin-site.xml to ensure they are properly set
  7. Start the Zeppelin server and verify the authentication mechanism is functioning correctly
  8. Test that users can log in properly and session handling works as expected
Caveat Review release notes for any configuration changes between 0.9.0 and the target version, as interpreter or notebook storage settings may need adjustment

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

Fix this in Zeppelin Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
21.0 hours of engineering $3,680
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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-2020-13929 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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