🛡️ CVE-2023-44981 — debian-linux

🔴 CVSS 9.5 — Critical ✅ No Known Exploit CWE-639 NVD
9.5
CVSS Score
0 Low4 Medium7 High9 Critical10

Description

Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key vulnerability in Apache ZooKeeper

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 '[email protected]', 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.

How this vulnerability can be exploited

This issue can be reached over the network, attack complexity is low, an attacker needs no privileges on the target. No user interaction is required. The scope is unchanged, so the impact stays within the vulnerable component. Rated impact: confidentiality high, integrity high, availability none.

Weakness class

CVE-2023-44981 is classified as CWE-639: Authorization Bypass Through User-Controlled Key. An object is selected by an identifier from the request without checking the caller owns it.

Affected software

CVE-2023-44981 is recorded against 3 packages.

  • debian-linux
  • org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper (from 3.9.0 up to 3.9.1)
  • zookeeper

Timeline and source

Published on 11 October 2023 and last revised on 17 June 2026. No public exploit is currently recorded for this entry. Record sourced from NVD.

References

www.openwall.com
lists.apache.org
lists.debian.org
security.netapp.com
www.debian.org
www.openwall.com
lists.apache.org
lists.debian.org
security.netapp.com
www.debian.org

CVE-2023-44981 on other distributions

Each distribution ships its own build and its own fixed version. Pick the one you run:

Details

Severity CRITICAL
CVSS Score 9.5
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
CWE CWE-639
Public Exploit ✅ No
Source NVD
Published 2023-10-11
Updated 2026-08-12
Modified 2026-06-17
Fix URL N/A

Affected Packages

Software From version Fixed in
debian-linux — —
org.apache.zookeeper:zookeeper 3.9.0 3.9.1
zookeeper — —

References

Mailing List, Third Party Advisory http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/11/4
Mailing List, Third Party Advisory https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5544
Mailing List, Third Party Advisory http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/11/4
Mailing List, Third Party Advisory https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5544

Similar Threats

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