CVE-2018-11787

Severity: high (CVSS 8.1 v3.0)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 2.6% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2018-09-18 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-287

Description

In Apache Karaf version prior to 3.0.9, 4.0.9, 4.1.1, when the webconsole feature is installed in Karaf, it is available at .../system/console and requires authentication to access it. One part of the console is a Gogo shell/console that gives access to the command line console of Karaf via a Web browser, and when navigated to it is available at .../system/console/gogo. Trying to go directly to that URL does require authentication. And optional bundle that some applications use is the Pax Web Extender Whiteboard, it is part of the pax-war feature and perhaps others. When it is installed, the Gogo console becomes available at another URL .../gogo/, and that URL is not secured giving access to the Karaf console to unauthenticated users. A mitigation for the issue is to manually stop/uninstall Gogo plugin bundle that is installed with the webconsole feature, although of course this removes the console from the .../system/console application, not only from the unauthenticated endpoint. One could also stop/uninstall the Pax Web Extender Whiteboard, but other components/applications may require it and so their functionality would be reduced/compromised.

Affected products

Apache Software Foundation Apache Karaf: before 3.0.9; from 4.0.0 before 4.0.9; from 4.1.0 before 4.1.1; 4.0.0-milestone1, 4.0.0-milestone2, 4.0.0-milestone3 — fixed in 3.0.9, 4.0.9, 4.1.1

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Apache Software Foundation Apache Karaf 3.0.9, 4.0.9, 4.1.1. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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