ZookeeperApplication · Apache
CVE-2024-23944
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 · uneditedInformation disclosure in persistent watchers handling in Apache ZooKeeper due to missing ACL check. It allows an attacker to monitor child znodes by attaching a persistent watcher (addWatch command) to a parent which the attacker has already access to. ZooKeeper server doesn't do ACL check when the persistent watcher is triggered and as a consequence, the full path of znodes that a watch event gets triggered upon is exposed to the owner of the watcher. It's important to note that only the path is exposed by this vulnerability, not the data of znode, but since znode path can contain sensitive information like user name or login ID, this issue is potentially critical. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 3.9.2, 3.8.4 which fixes the issue.
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 ZooKeeper fails to perform ACL validation when a persistent watcher's trigger event fires on child znodes. An attacker with access to a parent znode can use the addWatch command to attach a persistent watcher and receive full paths of descendant znodes they lack permissions for, exposing potentially sensitive path information like usernames or IDs.
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
ZookeeperApplication
>= 3.6.0, <= 3.7.2>= 3.8.0, < 3.8.4>= 3.9.0, < 3.9.2CVSS 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
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- Low
- Availability
- Low
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L
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 ZooKeeper versionRun `echo stat | nc localhost 2181` or use the `version` command in the ZooKeeper CLI ( `./zkServer.sh status` or `zkServer.sh -version`) to get the exact version numberAffected if The installed version is 3.6.0 through 3.7.2, 3.8.0 through 3.8.3, or 3.9.0 through 3.9.1 (falls within >= 3.6.0 <= 3.7.2 OR >= 3.8.0 < 3.8.4 OR >= 3.9.0 < 3.9.2)
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Verify persistent watcher capability is in useRun `getAcl` on parent znodes that may have children, or use the ZooKeeper four-letter commands (like `wchc` for watcher stats if available) to list watchers. Check application configs for addWatch API callsAffected if Persistent watchers (addWatch command) are configured on parent znodes that contain child znodes with different or more restrictive ACLs
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Inspect ACL configuration on parent-child znode hierarchiesUse ZooKeeper CLI: `getAcl /parent` and `getAcl /parent/child` to compare ACLs. If parent znode is accessible but children have different (stricter) ACLs, the vulnerability may allow path leakageAffected if Parent znodes have one ACL set while descendant znodes have different ACLs, creating a path exposure scenario where a user with parent access could receive child paths via persistent watcher events
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Audit for sensitive naming patterns in znode pathsReview znodes under watched parent paths: use `ls -R /parent` in CLI or `getChildren` calls. Look for path segments that contain usernames, IDs, emails, or other PII that would be exposed in watcher event notificationsAffected if Descendant znodes under watched parents contain sensitive information in their path names that would be disclosed through watcher callbacks to unauthorized users
You are affected if running a ZooKeeper version in the vulnerable range AND persistent watchers (addWatch) are configured on parent znodes that have child znodes with different ACLs, as the watcher can leak full descendant paths to users who lack permission on those children.
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 · scoped3.8.43.9.2
Upgrade Apache ZooKeeper to version 3.9.2 or 3.8.4 which includes the ACL check fix for persistent watcher path exposure.
Apache ZooKeeper 3.9.2 or 3.8.4
- 1. Backup ZooKeeper data directory and configuration files (zoo.cfg, log4j.properties)
- 2. Stop the ZooKeeper service gracefully (bin/zkServer.sh stop)
- 3. Download Apache ZooKeeper 3.9.2 or 3.8.4 from the official Apache archive (archive.apache.org/dist/zookeeper)
- 4. Extract the new ZooKeeper tar.gz to the installation directory
- 5. Restore your existing configuration files to preserve custom settings
- 6. Start ZooKeeper service (bin/zkServer.sh start)
- 7. Verify the upgrade by checking the version: echo stat | nc localhost 2181 or ./bin/zkServer.sh status
- 8. Test that persistent watcher functionality works correctly with ACL enforcement
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Fix this in Zookeeper
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-23944 — 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-2024-23944 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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