Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2017-5646

For versions of Apache Knox from 0.2.0 to 0.11.0 - an authenticated user may use a specially crafted URL to impersonate another user while accessing WebHDFS through Apache Knox. This may result in escalated privileges and unauthorized data access. While this activity is audit logged and can be easily associated with the authenticated user, this is still a serious security issue. All users are recommended to upgrade to the Apache Knox 0.12.0 release.

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a MEDIUM severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 6.8, indicating it can be exploited remotely over the network but requires specific conditions to be met without requiring user interaction requiring only low-level privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), for affected systems. Impacting 1 product from apache organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

First disclosed in 2017, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.

Published

2017-05-26T21:29:00.433

Last Modified

2026-05-13T00:24:29.033

Status

Modified

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.1: 6.8 (MEDIUM)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:N/AC:M/Au:S/C:P/I:P/A:N

Access Vector: NETWORK
Access Complexity: MEDIUM
Authentication: SINGLE
Confidentiality Impact: PARTIAL
Integrity Impact: PARTIAL
Availability Impact: NONE

Exploitability Score

6.8

Impact Score

4.9

Weaknesses

Type: Primary
CWE-346

Affected Vendors & Products

Type	Vendor	Product	Version/Range	Vulnerable?
Application	apache	knox	0.2.0	Yes
Application	apache	knox	0.3.0	Yes
Application	apache	knox	0.4.0	Yes
Application	apache	knox	0.5.0	Yes
Application	apache	knox	0.6.0	Yes
Application	apache	knox	0.7.0	Yes
Application	apache	knox	0.8.0	Yes
Application	apache	knox	0.9.0	Yes
Application	apache	knox	0.10.0	Yes
Application	apache	knox	0.11.0	Yes

References

http://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/knox-user/201705.mbox/%3CCACRbFyjtT7QQGHUzTRdbJoySbJb7tt4BDk5-r-VRn0GB0Kgvag%40mail.gmail.com%3E Mailing List, Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/98739 Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rcd6bcbcc08840d4e4bea661efe9a5ef8f6126ebbbc5bc266701d8f48%40%3Cdev.logging.apache.org%3E ([email protected])
http://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/knox-user/201705.mbox/%3CCACRbFyjtT7QQGHUzTRdbJoySbJb7tt4BDk5-r-VRn0GB0Kgvag%40mail.gmail.com%3E Mailing List, Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/98739 Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rcd6bcbcc08840d4e4bea661efe9a5ef8f6126ebbbc5bc266701d8f48%40%3Cdev.logging.apache.org%3E (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For apache's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.