Is CVE-2023-44981 being actively exploited?

It is not currently in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploitation probability is 2%.

What products does CVE-2023-44981 affect?

Tracked products affected include Apache ZooKeeper. Check the version you run to see whether it is affected.

How do I fix CVE-2023-44981?

Apply the vendor fix promptly. Upgrade affected products to a fixed version.

CVE-2023-44981

Q: What is CVE-2023-44981?

CVE-2023-44981 is a critical-severity software vulnerability (Authorization bypass) with a CVSS score of 9.1. Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in Apache ZooKeeper. If SASL Quorum Peer authentication is enabled in ZooKeeper (quorum.auth.enableSasl=true), the authorization is done by verifying that the instance part in S

CRITICAL severity · CVSS 9.1 · Authorization bypass

9.1CVSS CRITICAL

Summary

Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in Apache ZooKeeper. If SASL Quorum Peer authentication is enabled in ZooKeeper (quorum.auth.enableSasl=true), the authorization is done by verifying that the instance part in SASL authentication ID is listed in zoo.cfg server list. The instance part in SASL auth ID is optional and if it's missing, like 'eve@EXAMPLE.COM', the authorization check will be skipped. As a result an arbitrary endpoint could join the cluster and begin propagating counterfeit changes to the leader, essentially giving it complete read-write access to the data tree. Quorum Peer authentication is not enabled by default. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 3.9.1, 3.8.3, 3.7.2, which fixes the issue. Alternately ensure the ensemble election/quorum communication is protected by a firewall as this will mitigate the issue. See the documentation for more details on correct cluster administration.

Impact & exploitability

Attack vectorNetwork

Attack complexityLow

Privileges requiredNone

User interactionNone

Confidentiality impactHigh

Integrity impactHigh

Availability impactNone

Exploit probability (EPSS)2%

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

Affected products we track (1)

Apache ZooKeeper

Recommendation

Apply the vendor fix promptly. Open any affected product above for its exact safe version.

CVE-2023-44981

Summary

Impact & exploitability

Affected products we track (1)

Recommendation

Additional information