CVE-2021-28131
Published: 22 July 2021
Summary
CVE-2021-28131 is a high-severity Authentication Bypass Using an Alternate Path or Channel (CWE-288) vulnerability in Apache Impala. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).
Operationally, ranked at the 47.1th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2021-14830
Vulnerability details
Impala sessions use a 16 byte secret to verify that the session is not being hijacked by another user. However, these secrets appear in the Impala logs, therefore Impala users with access to the logs can use another authenticated user's…
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sessions with specially constructed requests. This means the attacker is able to execute statements for which they don't have the necessary privileges otherwise. Impala deployments with Apache Sentry or Apache Ranger authorization enabled may be vulnerable to privilege escalation if an authenticated attacker is able to hijack a session or query from another authenticated user with privileges not assigned to the attacker. Impala deployments with audit logging enabled may be vulnerable to incorrect audit logging as a user could undertake actions that were logged under the name of a different authenticated user. Constructing an attack requires a high degree of technical sophistication and access to the Impala system as an authenticated user. Mitigation: If an Impala deployment uses Apache Sentry, Apache Ranger or audit logging, then users should upgrade to a version of Impala with the fix for IMPALA-10600. The Impala 4.0 release includes this fix. This hides session secrets from the logs to eliminate the risk of any attack using this mechanism. In lieu of an upgrade, restricting access to logs that expose secrets will reduce the risk of an attack. Restricting access to the Impala deployment to trusted users will also reduce the risk of an attack. Log redaction techniques can be used to redact secrets from the logs.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
No named actor attribution yet. ATT&CK technique mapping in progress for this CVE.
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Authorizing remote access reduces the ability to bypass authentication via unauthorized alternate remote channels.
Users can identify logons via alternate paths or channels by reviewing the previous logon time.
Procedures mandate excluding sensitive data from logs to prevent unauthorized exposure via audit records.
Identifies insertion of sensitive data into logs, allowing detection of unauthorized disclosure.
Cross-organizational coordination enables agreement on what data to include in audit logs, directly reducing insertion of sensitive information.
Identifying logging as a data action allows prevention of sensitive information being inserted into log files.
Adaptive requirements can apply across access paths, reducing the ability to bypass authentication via alternate channels or paths.
Centralized IdPs close alternate authentication paths that enable bypass.