NifiApplication · Apache
CVE-2022-33140
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 · uneditedThe optional ShellUserGroupProvider in Apache NiFi 1.10.0 to 1.16.2 and Apache NiFi Registry 0.6.0 to 1.16.2 does not neutralize arguments for group resolution commands, allowing injection of operating system commands on Linux and macOS platforms. The ShellUserGroupProvider is not included in the default configuration. Command injection requires ShellUserGroupProvider to be one of the enabled User Group Providers in the Authorizers configuration. Command injection also requires an authenticated user with elevated privileges. Apache NiFi requires an authenticated user with authorization to modify access policies in order to execute the command. Apache NiFi Registry requires an authenticated user with authorization to read user groups in order to execute the command. The resolution removes command formatting based on user-provided arguments.
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 confidenceThe optional ShellUserGroupProvider in Apache NiFi and NiFi Registry fails to sanitize user-provided arguments when constructing group resolution shell commands, allowing OS command injection on Linux and macOS. An authenticated attacker with specific authorization privileges (modify access policies for NiFi, read user groups for NiFi Registry) can inject arbitrary commands through provider configuration.
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
>= 1.10.0, <= 1.16.2
Nifi RegistryApplication
>= 0.6.0, <= 1.16.2CVSS 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
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 which Apache NiFi or NiFi Registry component is installedCheck installed version using nifi --version or nifi-registry --version, or examine the nar/nifi-registry-webWAR file name in the installation directoryAffected if Version is between 1.10.0 and 1.16.2 for NiFi, or between 0.6.0 and 1.16.2 for NiFi Registry
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Determine if ShellUserGroupProvider is configuredSearch configuration files (authorizers.xml or login-identity-providers.xml) for <property name="User Group Provider">ShellUserGroupProvider</property> or inspect the nifi.properties file for related shell provider configurationAffected if ShellUserGroupProvider is enabled or referenced in the authorization configuration
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Inspect ShellUserGroupProvider configuration for user-provided argumentsLocate the ShellUserGroupProvider definition in the authorizers.xml or user-group-provider.xml configuration file and examine the <property> elements for command templates containing user input parametersAffected if The provider configuration contains command templates that accept user-provided arguments (such as user name or group name parameters)
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Verify access policies for users with modification privilegesReview access policies in the authorizers.xml or through the NiFi UI Admin interface to identify users granted "modify access policies" (NiFi) or "read user groups" (NiFi Registry)Affected if Any user account has privileges to modify access policies (NiFi) or read user groups (NiFi Registry), and the ShellUserGroupProvider is active
The environment is affected if ShellUserGroupProvider is configured and the installed NiFi or NiFi Registry version falls within the affected ranges (1.10.0-1.16.2 for NiFi, 0.6.0-1.16.2 for NiFi Registry).
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.
dbcve · scopedIf ShellUserGroupProvider is not required, disable it. Otherwise, upgrade to Apache NiFi/NiFi Registry 1.16.3 or later which removes command formatting from user-provided arguments.
Apache NiFi and NiFi Registry 1.17.0 or later
- 1. Identify the current deployment version of Apache NiFi and/or NiFi Registry using the system diagnostics or version file
- 2. Review the current authorizers.xml configuration to check if ShellUserGroupProvider is enabled: look for <userGroupProvider> entries with <class>org.apache.nifi.authorization.ShellUserGroupProvider</class>
- 3. If ShellUserGroupProvider is enabled, identify all users and groups that have access to modify access policies (NiFi) or read user groups (NiFi Registry)
- 4. Upgrade Apache NiFi from 1.16.2 or earlier to version 1.17.0 or later
- 5. Upgrade Apache NiFi Registry from 1.16.2 or earlier to version 1.17.0 or later
- 6. After upgrade, verify the ShellUserGroupProvider configuration does not allow command injection by testing with benign arguments
- 7. Review access policies to ensure only necessary authenticated users have elevated privileges
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
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-2022-33140 — 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-2022-33140 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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