CVE-2016-2174: SQL injection vulnerability in the policy admin tool in Apache Ranger before 0.5.3 allows remote authentica...

Security readout for executives and security teams

CVE-2016-2174 is a SQL injection flaw in Apache Ranger’s policy admin tool before version 0.5.3. An authenticated remote administrator could make the application execute arbitrary SQL through a vulnerable policy endpoint. The issue matters most where Ranger protects sensitive data platforms or where administrator accounts are shared, weakly controlled, or exposed. Exposure is limited to organizations running Apache Ranger versions before 0.5.3 with reachable policy admin functionality. The attacker prerequisite is high because the source describes remote authenticated administrators, not unauthenticated users. Risk increases if Ranger admin access is internet-facing, broadly delegated, or tied to compromised privileged accounts. Prioritize remediation if Ranger governs sensitive Hadoop or data-platform access, or if admin access is broadly available. This is not currently evidenced as actively exploited, but it affects a security control plane and has a named fixed release, so aging vulnerable deployments should be retired. Mitigation focus: Upgrade Apache Ranger to 0.5.3 or a vendor-supported fixed release.; Restrict Ranger policy admin access to trusted administrative networks.; Review and reduce accounts with Ranger administrator privileges..

Prepared

Jun 13, 2026, 14:22 UTC (UTC+00:00)

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.