Unstructured Information Management ArchitectureApplication · Apache
CVE-2023-28935
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** UNSUPPORTED WHEN ASSIGNED ** Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in a Command ('Command Injection') vulnerability in Apache Software Foundation Apache UIMA DUCC. When using the "Distributed UIMA Cluster Computing" (DUCC) module of Apache UIMA, an authenticated user that has the permissions to modify core entities can cause command execution as the system user that runs the web process. As the "Distributed UIMA Cluster Computing" module for UIMA is retired, we do not plan to release a fix for this issue. NOTE: This vulnerability only affects products that are no longer supported by the maintainer.
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 confidenceApache UIMA DUCC (Distributed UIMA Cluster Computing) contains a command injection vulnerability where an authenticated user with permissions to modify core entities can execute arbitrary commands as the user running the web process. The vulnerability stems from improper neutralization of special elements in commands.
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
Unstructured Information Management ArchitectureApplication
all versionsCVSS 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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Check if Apache UIMA DUCC is installedSearch for UIMA DUCC installation directories or files: look for 'ducc' directories, check common locations like /opt/ducc, /usr/local/ducc, or search for 'uima-ducc' in installed packages using 'dpkg -l | grep uima' or 'rpm -qa | grep uima'Affected if Apache UIMA DUCC is found installed on the system
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Check if DUCC web service is runningIdentify processes listening on common DUCC web ports (typically port 8080 or configured ports): run 'netstat -tlnp | grep -E "(8080|port)"' or 'ps aux | grep -i ducc' to find running DUCC Java processesAffected if DUCC web service process is running and accessible on a network port
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Check for configured DUCC users with permissionsExamine DUCC user configuration files in the DUCC installation directory, typically in 'security' or 'configuration' subdirectories: look for user definition files that indicate which users have 'core entity modify' or administrative permissionsAffected if Any DUCC user account exists with permissions to modify core entities (not read-only roles)
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Check web service configuration for authenticationReview DUCC web configuration files for authentication settings: check if the web interface has authentication enabled or if it allows anonymous accessAffected if Web interface authentication is disabled or permits unauthenticated access to entity modification features
User is affected if Apache UIMA DUCC is installed, the web service is running, and there exist authenticated users with permissions to modify core entities, since the vulnerability allows command injection through those modification capabilities.
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 · scopedSince the DUCC module is retired with no planned fix, organizations should verify if the component is in use and either remove it or implement compensating controls such as strict role-based access constraints, network isolation, and enhanced monitoring of authenticated sessions.
- Migrate away from Apache UIMA DUCC to a supported alternative, as the module is retired and will not receive security patches.
- If migration is not immediately possible, implement network isolation by placing the DUCC component in a dedicated, firewalled network segment with minimal exposure.
- Restrict administrative access to only highly trusted individuals; implement strong authentication mechanisms.
- Implement additional application-level monitoring and logging for the DUCC component to detect any anomalous activity.
- Consider deploying intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS) to monitor for attempts to exploit command injection vulnerabilities.
- Review and minimize any user permissions related to modifying core entities, as this is the attack vector described.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Unstructured Information Management Architecture
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-28935 — 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-2023-28935 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
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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