Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This flaw lets an unauthenticated attacker who can reach the Marathon UI/API schedule a Docker container that abuses host volume mounts. With write access to the host filesystem, the attacker can modify cron and gain root code execution. For affected DC/OS Marathon deployments, impact is full host compromise, not just application disruption.
Executive priority
Treat this as urgent for any reachable or legacy DC/OS Marathon environment. The practical risk is unauthenticated root compromise of cluster hosts, with potential service takeover and persistence. If no Marathon deployment exists, priority drops to documentation and asset confirmation.
Technical view
CVE-2017-20198 is an improper restriction issue in DC/OS Marathon UI before 1.9.0. The described path combines unauthenticated app deployment with unsafe Docker volume mount handling, allowing host root filesystem write access from a container and root-level command execution via host cron modification.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely where DC/OS Marathon UI/API is reachable by untrusted networks and Docker honors Marathon-supplied volume configurations without policy controls. The source bundle identifies DC/OS Marathon below 1.9.0, but affected-version metadata is limited and should be verified against vendor records.
Exploitation context
The bundle cites public exploit references, including Exploit-DB and a Metasploit module. That supports exploit availability, but not confirmed active exploitation. The CVE is not marked KEV in the provided data, so active exploitation should not be claimed from this bundle alone.
Researcher notes
Do not infer broader Mesos or Docker exposure without evidence. The key validation question is whether Marathon can accept unauthenticated deployments and pass dangerous volume mounts to Docker. Public exploit artifacts exist, but this bundle does not establish current exploitation in the wild.
Mitigation direction
- Identify any DC/OS Marathon deployments, especially versions below 1.9.0.
- Restrict Marathon UI/API access to trusted administrative networks and authenticated users.
- Review vendor guidance for the supported upgrade or retirement path.
- Enforce container policy controls that prevent host root filesystem write mounts.
- Investigate unexpected Marathon apps, containers, host mounts, and cron entries.
Validation and detection
- Confirm whether Marathon UI/API is reachable without authentication from untrusted networks.
- Inventory DC/OS Marathon versions and compare them with vendor guidance.
- Review Marathon app definitions for host filesystem mounts or privileged Docker settings.
- Check hosts for unexpected files under cron-managed directories.
- Review logs for unauthorized app deployment activity.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-732: Authorization and privilege behavior lookup
Authorization weaknesses can support privilege escalation and valid-account review, depending on exploit path. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupExecution behavior lookup
The CVE wording references code or command execution, so execution technique review may help defensive triage. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupContainer behavior lookup
The affected technology mentions containers, so container-specific ATT&CK technique review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2017-20198 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- Critical
- CVSS
- 9.3 (4.0)
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
Vector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N——VulnCheckVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 4.0 score
9.3CriticalVector: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/42134CVE reference, VulnCheck · exploit
- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/master/modules/exploits/linux/http/dcos_marathon.rbCVE reference, VulnCheck · exploit
- https://web.archive.org/web/20230609134421/https://warroom.rsmus.com/dcos-marathon-compromise/CVE reference, VulnCheck · technical-description
- https://dcos.io/CVE reference, VulnCheck · product
- https://www.vulncheck.com/advisories/dcos-marathon-docker-mount-abuse-rceCVE reference, VulnCheck · third-party-advisory
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource
Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.