Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
Apache Hive before 3.1.3 did not properly authorize CREATE and DROP function operations. A lower-privileged Hive user could replace an existing UDF with one pointing to a different jar, potentially introducing malicious code into analytics workflows.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation on shared or production Hive environments where less-trusted users can run queries. The main business risk is tampering with analytics execution and data-processing trust, not a confirmed internet-wide exploit campaign.
Technical view
The issue is an authorization bypass in Apache Hive UDF management. CREATE and DROP function queries failed to verify required privileges for involved entities, allowing unauthorized manipulation of existing UDF definitions and jar references. The CVE maps to CWE-306, missing authentication for a critical function.
Likely exposure
Organizations running Apache Hive before 3.1.3 are most exposed, especially shared data platforms where multiple users can submit Hive queries or manage UDFs. Exposure depends on Hive authorization configuration and UDF usage.
Exploitation context
The provided sources do not report active exploitation, and the CVE is not listed as KEV. Exploitation appears to require access to submit Hive function operations, then abuse missing authorization around existing UDFs.
Researcher notes
Evidence is limited to the CVE record and Apache advisory reference. No CVSS score, exploit confirmation, or detailed affected-version matrix beyond “before 3.1.3” is provided in the bundle.
Mitigation direction
- Upgrade Apache Hive to version 3.1.3 or later.
- Review Apache Hive vendor guidance for supported fixed releases.
- Restrict UDF creation and deletion privileges to trusted administrators.
- Audit existing UDF definitions and jar locations for unexpected changes.
- Monitor Hive metadata changes involving CREATE FUNCTION and DROP FUNCTION.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Hive deployments and confirm installed versions.
- Identify clusters running Apache Hive before 3.1.3.
- Review authorization settings for UDF management operations.
- Check audit logs for unusual UDF drop or recreate activity.
- Validate existing UDF jar paths against approved repositories.
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-306: Credential and account abuse lookup
Authentication and credential weaknesses can make valid-account abuse and credential telemetry useful review starting points. 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 lookupCVE-2021-34538 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
- Unknown
- CVSS
- Not scored
- Known Exploited
- No
- Published
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.
CVSS and timeline data
No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://lists.apache.org/thread/oqqgnhz4c6nxsfd0xstosnk0g15f7354CVE reference · x_refsource_MISC
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.
Missing Authentication for Critical Function
Missing Authentication for Critical Function represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.