NifiApplication · Apache
CVE-2020-9486
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 NiFi 1.10.0 to 1.11.4, the NiFi stateless execution engine produced log output which included sensitive property values. When a flow was triggered, the flow definition configuration JSON was printed, potentially containing sensitive values in plaintext.
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 NiFi 1.10.0 to 1.11.4, the stateless execution engine logs the entire flow definition configuration JSON when flows are triggered. This exposes sensitive property values (passwords, API keys, tokens, credentials) in plaintext within log files, creating a credential disclosure risk.
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
NifiApplication
>= 1.0.0, <= 1.11.4CVSS 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
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify NiFi versionLocate the nifi.version property in the conf/nifi.properties file, or check the NiFi UI login page footer which displays the version number.Affected if The installed version is 1.0.0 through 1.11.4 (inclusive).
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Confirm stateless execution engine is in useSearch the NiFi conf/flow.json.gz file or the flow XML configuration for references to 'StatelessFlowEngine' or stateless processors. In the NiFi UI, check if any Process Groups use the stateless execution mode.Affected if Stateless flow execution is configured or any stateless processors are in use.
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Inspect log files for exposed credentialsExamine nifi-app.log and nifi-user.log files in the logs/ directory. Search for patterns matching password, token, or key values appearing in plaintext. Use grep or similar tools to search for sensitive property names alongside their values in JSON format.Affected if Log files contain plaintext passwords, API keys, tokens, or other credential values from flow configuration.
If NiFi version is between 1.0.0 and 1.11.4 and the stateless execution engine has been used, sensitive properties may be exposed in log files.
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 to NiFi 1.12.0 or later where this issue is fixed. Additionally, review and purge existing logs that may contain exposed sensitive values, and ensure log access is restricted to authorized personnel.
Fix this in Nifi
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-9486 — 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-2020-9486 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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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