CVE-2024-36264
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an improper authentication vulnerability in Apache Submarine Commons Utils where a default hardcoded secret is used if users don't explicitly set their own authentication secret. This allows attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms and gain unauthorized access. The vulnerability affects all users of Apache Submarine Commons Utils version 0.8.0 and above, but the project is now retired and unsupported.
💻 Affected Systems
- Apache Submarine Commons Utils
📦 What is this software?
Submarine by Apache
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise allowing attackers to bypass all authentication, access sensitive data, execute arbitrary code, and take full control of affected systems.
Likely Case
Unauthorized access to the Submarine platform, potential data exposure, and privilege escalation within the application.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation and access controls, but authentication bypass remains possible within the application boundary.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation is trivial - attackers simply need to use the default hardcoded secret value that is publicly documented in the vulnerability disclosure.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: None - project is retired
Vendor Advisory: https://lists.apache.org/thread/7mo0c7vbhpo8thvybl8wwvb0bccrg7r4
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
No official patch available. The Apache Submarine project is retired and will not receive security updates. Users must migrate to alternative solutions.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Set Custom Authentication Secret
allExplicitly configure a strong, unique secret for submarine.auth.default.secret in your configuration files
Set submarine.auth.default.secret=<your_strong_random_secret> in submarine-site.xml or equivalent configuration
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Immediately migrate to a supported alternative platform as Apache Submarine is retired and vulnerable
- Implement strict network access controls, isolate affected systems, and monitor all access attempts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if submarine.auth.default.secret is explicitly set in your configuration files. If using default or no value is set, you are vulnerable.Check Version:
Check the version of Apache Submarine Commons Utils in your deployment - versions 0.8.0+ are affectedVerify Fix Applied:
Verify that submarine.auth.default.secret is set to a custom, strong value and not using any default/hardcoded values.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Authentication attempts using default/hardcoded secrets
- Unauthorized access patterns
- Failed authentication logs followed by successful access
Network Indicators:
- Unusual authentication traffic patterns
- Access from unexpected sources using default credentials
SIEM Query:
Search for authentication events where secret matches known default values or patterns indicating authentication bypass