#VU50246 Cleartext transmission of sensitive information in Cassandra - CVE-2020-17516

Vulnerability identifier: #VU50246

Vulnerability risk: Medium

CVSSv4.0: 1.7 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Green]

CVE-ID: CVE-2020-17516

CWE-ID: CWE-319

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
Cassandra
Server applications / Database software

Vendor: Apache Foundation

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to gain access to sensitive information.

The vulnerability exists due to software uses insecure communication channel to transmit sensitive information when using "dc" or "rack" internode_encryption setting. A remote attacker can use unencrypted connection despite not being in the same rack or dc, and bypass mutual TLS requirement.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Cassandra: 2.1 - 2.1.22, 2.2.0 - 2.2.19, 3.0.0 - 3.0.23, 3.11 - 3.11.9

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External links
https://seclists.org/oss-sec/2021/q1/96

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.