Description

TLS hostname verification issue in Apache Ranger Client Code in versions <= 2.8.0. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 2.9.0, which fixes this issue.

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "7.5",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-10T11:17:27.240Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-10T11:17:27.240Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A vulnerability exists in the Apache Ranger client code involving improper TLS hostname verification. This security flaw impacts Apache Ranger versions <= 2.8.0.\nThe vulnerability allows an attacker to perform adversarial interception or manipulation of network traffic between the client and targeted services due to insufficient validation of the server's X.509 certificate hostname against the expected destination domain.\nThe risk implication is significant, as successful exploitation enables man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks, potentially leading to the compromise of sensitive data in transit, including authentication tokens, administrative credentials, and policy synchronization data.\nAttacker capabilities in this scenario include the interception, decryption, or tampering of TLS communications if the adversary can position themselves within the network path and present a valid certificate signed by a trusted Certificate Authority, albeit for a different domain than the intended endpoint.\nExploitation requirements typically involve network positioning capabilities to intercept or redirect traffic between the Apache Ranger client and the server, exploiting the lack of strict hostname checks during the TLS handshake process.\nOrganizations utilizing affected versions face confidentiality and integrity risks across their security management infrastructure.",
  "technicalDetails": "The root cause of this vulnerability lies in the Apache Ranger client code's failure to adequately enforce RFC 2818 compliant TLS hostname verification during the establishment of secure HTTPS or TLS connections.\nDuring the TLS handshake process, while the client may successfully validate the cryptographic chain of trust of the presented X.509 certificate against trusted root Certificate Authorities, it fails to verify that the Common Name (CN) or Subject Alternative Name (SAN) attributes within the certificate match the hostname of the target service endpoint being accessed.\nThe vulnerable component is the TLS communication handler within the Apache Ranger client module across affected versions <= 2.8.0.\nBecause the client accepts any validly signed certificate regardless of the intended subject domain, an attacker capable of positioning themselves as a man-in-the-middle on the network path can present a legitimate certificate issued for an unrelated domain by a trusted CA.\nThe attack flow proceeds as follows: 1) The Apache Ranger client initiates a TLS connection to a remote service or repository manager. 2) An attacker intercepting the network traffic interposes themselves, forwarding or terminating the connection while presenting an arbitrary valid X.509 certificate. 3) The vulnerable client validates the certificate signature against its truststore, successfully passes the check due to the absence of hostname verification logic, and establishes the encrypted session with the attacker rather than the intended legitimate server.\nThis network exposure allows the adversary to read, modify, or forge administrative requests, authorization policies, and operational payloads transmitted by the client.\nThe vulnerability does not require authentication or specific privilege levels by the attacker on the target application, but it relies heavily on network positioning and the ability to intercept or spoof DNS or routing resolutions to direct client traffic through the attacker-controlled proxy.\nPost-exploitation impact includes unauthorized interception of sensitive administrative telemetry, policy configurations, and credentials exchanged during Ranger operations, compromising the overall security perimeter enforced by the platform."
}