Highly exploitable, CVE-2023-26031 poses a critical security risk that could lead to severe breaches.
Status: Modified
Last updated: 🕔 13 Feb 2025, 17:16 UTC
Originally published on: 🕘 16 Nov 2023, 09:15 UTC
Time between publication and last update: 455 days
CVSS Release: version 3
nvd@nist.gov
Primary
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVE-2023-26031: Relative library resolution in linux container-executor binary in Apache Hadoop 3.3.1-3.3.4 on Linux allows local user to gain root privileges. If the YARN cluster is accepting work from remote (authenticated) users, this MAY permit remote users to gain root privileges. Hadoop 3.3.0 updated the " YARN Secure Containers https://hadoop.apache.org/docs/stable/hadoop-yarn/hadoop-yarn-site/SecureContainer.html " to add a feature for executing user-submitted applications in isolated linux containers. The native binary HADOOP_HOME/bin/container-executor is used to launch these containers; it must be owned by root and have the suid bit set in order for the YARN processes to run the containers as the specific users submitting the jobs. The patch " YARN-10495 https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/YARN-10495 . make the rpath of container-executor configurable" modified the library loading path for loading .so files from "$ORIGIN/" to ""$ORIGIN/:../lib/native/". This is the a path through which libcrypto.so is located. Thus it is is possible for a user with reduced privileges to install a malicious libcrypto library into a path to which they have write access, invoke the container-executor command, and have their modified library executed as root. If the YARN cluster is accepting work from remote (authenticated) users, and these users' submitted job are executed in the physical host, rather than a container, then the CVE permits remote users to gain root privileges. The fix for the vulnerability is to revert the change, which is done in YARN-11441 https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/YARN-11441 , "Revert YARN-10495". This patch is in hadoop-3.3.5. To determine whether a version of container-executor is vulnerable, use the readelf command. If the RUNPATH or RPATH value contains the relative path "./lib/native/" then it is at risk $ readelf -d container-executor|grep 'RUNPATH\|RPATH' 0x000000000000001d (RUNPATH) Library runpath: [$ORIGIN/:../lib/native/] If it does not, then it is safe: $ readelf -d container-executor|grep 'RUNPATH\|RPATH' 0x000000000000001d (RUNPATH) Library runpath: [$ORIGIN/] For an at-risk version of container-executor to enable privilege escalation, the owner must be root and the suid bit must be set $ ls -laF /opt/hadoop/bin/container-executor ---Sr-s---. 1 root hadoop 802968 May 9 20:21 /opt/hadoop/bin/container-executor A safe installation lacks the suid bit; ideally is also not owned by root. $ ls -laF /opt/hadoop/bin/container-executor -rwxr-xr-x. 1 yarn hadoop 802968 May 9 20:21 /opt/hadoop/bin/container-executor This configuration does not support Yarn Secure Containers, but all other hadoop services, including YARN job execution outside secure containers continue to work.
The exploitability of CVE-2023-26031 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).
This vulnerability, CVE-2023-26031, requires a high level of attack complexity and low privileges, making it difficult but not impossible to exploit. Organizations should ensure robust security configurations to mitigate risks.
A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.
Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.
Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.
Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2023-26031, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.
Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2023-26031, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.
The EPSS score estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the near future.
EPSS Score: 0.071% (probability of exploit)
EPSS Percentile: 34.03%
(lower percentile = lower relative risk)
This vulnerability is less risky than approximately 65.97% of others.
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