Vulnerability Database

346,508

Total vulnerabilities in the database

CVE-2022-25168 — apache / hadoop

Improper Neutralization of Argument Delimiters in a Command ('Argument Injection')

Apache Hadoop's FileUtil.unTar(File, File) API does not escape the input file name before being passed to the shell. An attacker can inject arbitrary commands. This is only used in Hadoop 3.3 InMemoryAliasMap.completeBootstrapTransfer, which is only ever run by a local user. It has been used in Hadoop 2.x for yarn localization, which does enable remote code execution. It is used in Apache Spark, from the SQL command ADD ARCHIVE. As the ADD ARCHIVE command adds new binaries to the classpath, being able to execute shell scripts does not confer new permissions to the caller. SPARK-38305. "Check existence of file before untarring/zipping", which is included in 3.3.0, 3.1.4, 3.2.2, prevents shell commands being executed, regardless of which version of the hadoop libraries are in use. Users should upgrade to Apache Hadoop 2.10.2, 3.2.4, 3.3.3 or upper (including HADOOP-18136).

CVSS v3:

  • Severity: Critical
  • Score: 9.8
  • AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Frequently Asked Questions

A security vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or configuration that can be exploited to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability. Many vulnerabilities are tracked as CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures), which provide a standardized identifier so teams can coordinate patching, mitigation, and risk assessment across tools and vendors.

CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) estimates technical severity, but it doesn't automatically equal business risk. Prioritize using context like internet exposure, affected asset criticality, known exploitation (proof-of-concept or in-the-wild), and whether compensating controls exist. A "Medium" CVSS on an exposed, production system can be more urgent than a "Critical" on an isolated, non-production host.

A vulnerability is the underlying weakness. An exploit is the method or code used to take advantage of it. A zero-day is a vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor or has no publicly available fix when attackers begin using it. In practice, risk increases sharply when exploitation becomes reliable or widespread.

Recurring findings usually come from incomplete Asset Discovery, inconsistent patch management, inherited images, and configuration drift. In modern environments, you also need to watch the software supply chain: dependencies, containers, build pipelines, and third-party services can reintroduce the same weakness even after you patch a single host. Unknown or unmanaged assets (often called Shadow IT) are a common reason the same issues resurface.

Use a simple, repeatable triage model: focus first on externally exposed assets, high-value systems (identity, VPN, email, production), vulnerabilities with known exploits, and issues that enable remote code execution or privilege escalation. Then enforce patch SLAs and track progress using consistent metrics so remediation is steady, not reactive.

SynScan combines attack surface monitoring and continuous security auditing to keep your inventory current, flag high-impact vulnerabilities early, and help you turn raw findings into a practical remediation plan.