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ArvadosApplication

CVE-2022-39238

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-09-23
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 2.4.3 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
Arvados is an open source platform for managing and analyzing biomedical big data. In versions prior to 2.4.3, when using Portable Authentication Modules (PAM) for user authentication, if a user presented valid credentials but the account is disabled or otherwise not allowed to access the host (such as an expired password), it would still be accepted for access to Arvados. Other authentication methods (LDAP, OpenID Connect) supported by Arvados are not affected by this flaw. This issue is patched in version 2.4.3. Workaround for this issue is to migrate to a different authentication method supported by Arvados, such as LDAP.

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

In Arvados versions prior to 2.4.3, the PAM authentication module validates user credentials correctly but fails to check account status flags such as disabled accounts or expired passwords. This allows users with valid credentials but restricted system access to still authenticate to Arvados, creating an unauthorized access vector.

MitigationUpgrade Arvados to version 2.4.3 or later to patch the PAM authentication flaw, or migrate to an unaffected authentication method such as LDAP or OpenID Connect.

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
ArvadosApplication
Affected:< 2.4.3

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify installed Arvados version
    Run 'arvados-server version' or check the package manager for the installed arvados package version
    Affected if The version number is less than 2.4.3
  2. Confirm PAM authentication is in use
    Inspect the Arvados configuration file (typically at /etc/arvados/config.yml) and look for an authentication section that specifies 'PAM' as the method
    Affected if PAM is configured as the authentication backend
  3. Verify PAM account status checking
    Examine the PAM configuration files for the arvados service (usually in /etc/pam.d/) and check if 'account' and 'password' stacking directives include required modules like pam_acct_mgmt or pam_passwordchk
    Affected if The PAM configuration lacks proper account status verification modules or these checks are disabled

You are affected if you are running Arvados version less than 2.4.3 with PAM authentication enabled, and the PAM configuration does not properly enforce account status checks (disabled, expired).

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 2.4.3 or later
Fixed in 2.4.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Arvados to version 2.4.3 or later to patch the PAM authentication flaw, or migrate to an unaffected authentication method such as LDAP or OpenID Connect.

Recommended fix High confidence

2.4.3

  1. Verify current Arvados version by checking the installed package or container version
  2. Plan and schedule a maintenance window for the upgrade
  3. Back up current Arvados configuration and database
  4. Upgrade Arvados to version 2.4.3 using your deployment method (package manager, container update, or source compilation)
  5. After upgrading, verify the PAM authentication module now correctly rejects users with disabled accounts or expired passwords
  6. Confirm other authentication methods (LDAP, OpenID Connect) continue to function correctly

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

Fix this in Arvados Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
17.0 hours of engineering $2,960
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,736.

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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-2022-39238 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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