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NifiApplication · Apache

CVE-2023-36542

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-07-29
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.22.0 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
Apache NiFi 0.0.2 through 1.22.0 include Processors and Controller Services that support HTTP URL references for retrieving drivers, which allows an authenticated and authorized user to configure a location that enables custom code execution. The resolution introduces a new Required Permission for referencing remote resources, restricting configuration of these components to privileged users. The permission prevents unprivileged users from configuring Processors and Controller Services annotated with the new Reference Remote Resources restriction. Upgrading to Apache NiFi 1.23.0 is the recommended mitigation.

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

Apache NiFi versions 0.0.2 through 1.22.0 contain Processors and Controller Services that allow authenticated users to configure HTTP URL references for retrieving drivers, enabling arbitrary custom code execution. The vulnerability stems from insufficient access controls on components that load remote code via URLs.

MitigationUpgrade to Apache NiFi 1.23.0 or later, which introduces a new 'Reference Remote Resources' permission that restricts configuration of affected components to privileged users only.

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
Affected:>= 0.0.2, <= 1.22.0

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
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 NiFi version
    Check the nifi-version.jar file in the NiFi installation directory, or log into the NiFi web UI and view the version displayed on the login page or in the About dialog
    Affected if Version is 0.0.2 through 1.22.0 inclusive
  2. Confirm authentication is enabled
    Check the nifi.properties file in the conf directory for 'nifi.security.authentication' setting - if it is set to a value other than 'anonymous', authentication is enabled
    Affected if Authentication is enabled (non-anonymous) and NiFi version is within the affected range
  3. Locate processors that load remote drivers
    In the NiFi web UI, search for processors by type names that reference database drivers or remote resource loading. Common patterns include processors with 'Driver' in the name, or review the nar libraries for custom code loading components
    Affected if Processors or Controller Services are configured that retrieve custom code or drivers via HTTP URLs
  4. Check processor and controller service configurations
    For any identified processors or controller services that load external resources, inspect their configuration properties for URL-type fields (such as 'Driver URL', 'JAR URL', or similar) pointing to HTTP/HTTPS locations
    Affected if Configuration contains HTTP/HTTPS URL references for loading drivers or custom code
  5. Review user access to affected components
    In the NiFi UI, verify which users have permissions to configure the vulnerable processors/controller services by checking the access policies in the Policy Management interface
    Affected if Non-privileged (non-admin) authenticated users have ability to configure components that load remote resources

You are affected if NiFi version is between 0.0.2 and 1.22.0, authentication is enabled, and any authenticated user can configure processors or controller services that load code via HTTP URLs.

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 1.22.0
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Apache NiFi 1.23.0 or later, which introduces a new 'Reference Remote Resources' permission that restricts configuration of affected components to privileged users only.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apache NiFi 1.23.0

  1. Verify current Apache NiFi version by checking the NiFi UI footer or using the NiFi API endpoint /nifi-api/systemdiagnostics
  2. Review existing Processors and Controller Services that use HTTP URL references for driver retrieval
  3. Plan maintenance window for the upgrade process
  4. Stop the NiFi instance (or cluster) gracefully
  5. Back up the NiFi configuration directory (by default, <nifi_install_dir>/conf) and flow.xml.gz
  6. Back up any custom processors, NAR files, and supporting libraries
  7. Download Apache NiFi 1.23.0 from the official Apache NiFi downloads page (https://nifi.apache.org/download.html)
  8. Install NiFi 1.23.0 following the standard upgrade procedure for your deployment mode
Caveat Users without the new 'Reference Remote Resources' permission will be restricted from configuring Processors and Controller Services that reference remote resources

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
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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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-2023-36542 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