Apache Hive SSRF pre4.2.1 via avro.schema.url (fixed in 4.2.1)
CVE-2026-55976 Published on August 25, 2026
Apache Hive: SSRF vulnerability in Hive Avro Serde due to Insufficient input validation on avro.schema.url
Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) in Avro SerDe schema resolution in Apache Hive before 4.2.1 allows an authenticated remote attacker with CREATE TABLE privilege to cause the Hive server to fetch an attacker-controlled URL when resolving the avro.schema.url table property on an Avro table that is subsequently queried. This can expose cloud instance metadata, internal network services, or local server files to the Hive process identity. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 4.2.1, which fixes this issue.
Attacker access requirements:
* Network access to HiveServer2 / Metastore: required (remote attacker model).
* Valid Hive authentication: required.
* CREATE TABLE (or equivalent) privilege: required, so the attacker can set avro.schema.url in table properties.
* SELECT privilege on the malicious table: not required for the creator, who can typically query their own table; any other user granted SELECT can also trigger the fetch.
* Write access to the table LOCATION: not required; the attack uses the schema URL, not the data path.
* Admin / superuser privileges: not required; an ordinary authenticated user with DDL rights is sufficient.
* External tables enabled: typically required in practice, and enabled by default in most deployments.
Detection guidance:
* Inspect metastore / Hive table metadata for Avro tables whose avro.schema.url uses unexpected schemes such as http, https, file, or ftp, or points at link-local / cloud metadata addresses (for example 169.254.169.254) or other internal hosts.
* Review HiveServer2 and Metastore logs around CREATE/ALTER TABLE and queries against Avro tables for schema-resolution failures or outbound fetches of avro.schema.url.
* Correlate CREATE TABLE / ALTER TABLE activity that sets avro.schema.url with subsequent SELECT activity on the same table, especially when the URL target is unusual for schema distribution.
* On cloud deployments, check instance / VPC flow logs and metadata service access logs for unexpected requests from Hive host identities shortly after Avro DDL or query activity.
Weakness Type
What is a SSRF Vulnerability?
The web server receives a URL or similar request from an upstream component and retrieves the contents of this URL, but it does not sufficiently ensure that the request is being sent to the expected destination. By providing URLs to unexpected hosts or ports, attackers can make it appear that the server is sending the request, possibly bypassing access controls such as firewalls that prevent the attackers from accessing the URLs directly. The server can be used as a proxy to conduct port scanning of hosts in internal networks, use other URLs such as that can access documents on the system (using file://), or use other protocols such as gopher:// or tftp://, which may provide greater control over the contents of requests.
CVE-2026-55976 has been classified to as a SSRF vulnerability or weakness.
Products Associated with CVE-2026-55976
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Affected Versions
Apache Software Foundation Apache Hive:- Version 2.1.0, <= 4.2.0 is affected.