CVE-2020-17533 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.1) CWE-252 vulnerability in org.apache.accumulo:accumulo-master. A fix is available for org.apache.accumulo:accumulo-master — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Improper privilege handling in Apache Accumulo
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2020-17533 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 385,386 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the < 10% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
Real-World Exposure
org.apache.accumulo:accumulo-master☕org.apache.accumulo:accumulo-masterReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Apache Accumulo versions 1.5.0 through 1.10.0 and version 2.0.0 do not properly check the return value of some policy enforcement functions before permitting an authenticated user to perform certain administrative operations. Specifically, the return values of the 'canFlush' and 'canPerformSystemActions' security functions are not checked in some instances, therefore allowing an authenticated user with insufficient permissions to perform the following actions: flushing a table, shutting down Accumulo or an individual tablet server, and setting or removing system-wide Accumulo configuration properties.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.accumulo:accumulo-master | ≥ 1.5.0&&< 1.10.1 | 1.10.1org.apache.accumulo:accumulo-master:1.10.1 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.accumulo:accumulo-master | ≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.0.1 | 2.0.1org.apache.accumulo:accumulo-master:2.0.1 |
Affected Products
accumuloapacheDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.accumulo:accumulo-master, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.apache.accumulo:accumulo-master to 1.10.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-17533 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2020-17533 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.