New exploit code has led researchers to reclassify a security threat aimed at the Linux enterprise search tool Apache Solr to “high severity status.”

Affected hardware could be hit with remote code execution (RCE) attacks that take advantage of a default configuration vulnerability, according to a blog post from Tenable.

Solr — which was originally designed to help those visiting the popular tech news site CNET look up information — has been run for the past 13 years by open-source organization Apache Software Foundation, which has continued to enhance its capabilities for other organizations. The exploit code discovery follows initial reports of a bug this past July, which were not considered as serious.

How the Solr Vulnerability Became a Critical Risk

Researchers originally believed the security issue with Solr would only allow cybercriminals and other third parties to access monitoring data. Further investigation showed, however, that using proof-of-concept code could allow malware to be uploaded and run on a Solr server, based on a hole in the 8983 port.

Although Windows users are reportedly not affected, the bug could be a powerful tool for misuse by anyone with network access to a Solr server and Java Management Extensions.

The Solr team issued a warning late last week, following the publication of revised proof-of-concept exploit code on the popular repository GitHub. Part of the concern stems from the fact that Apache Solr uses large volumes of compute power, which may be of interest to cryptocurrency miners and other cybercriminals.

Reducing the Risk of RCE Attacks

The Solr advisory suggested that anyone worried about being hit by an attack based on the exploit code could avoid the risk by using the “False” parameter for ENABLE_REMOTE_JMX_OPTS in their solr.in.sh file settings. The Solr team also suggested users ensure they are updated to version 8.3, though the Tenable post suggested many versions, including that one, were vulnerable to the bug.

Another way to stay safe from this and other RCE attacks is to invest in vulnerability management solutions or services that can identify, prioritize and remediate exploit code and other flaws in commonly used software applications.

More from

Vulnerability resolution enhanced by integrations

2 min read - Why speed is of the essence in today's cybersecurity landscape? How are you quickly achieving vulnerability resolution?Identifying vulnerabilities should be part of the daily process within an organization. It's an important piece of maintaining an organization’s security posture. However, the complicated nature of modern technologies — and the pace of change — often make vulnerability management a challenging task.In the past, many organizations had to support manual integration work to get different security systems to ‘talk’ to each other. As…

How I got started: SIEM engineer

2 min read - As careers in cybersecurity become increasingly more specialized, Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) engineers are playing a more prominent role. These professionals are like forensic specialists but are also on the front lines protecting sensitive information from the relentless onslaught of cyber threats. SIEM engineers meticulously monitor, analyze and manage security events and incidents within an organization. They leverage SIEM tools to aggregate and correlate data, enabling them to detect anomalies, identify potential threats and respond swiftly to security…

Tequila OS 2.0: The first forensic Linux distribution in Latin America

3 min read - Incident response teams are stretched thin, and the threats are only intensifying. But new tools are helping bridge the gap for cybersecurity pros in Latin America.IBM Security X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2023 found that 12% of the security incidents X-force responded to were in Latin America. In comparison, 31% were in the Asia-Pacific, followed by Europe with 28%, North America with 25% and the Middle East with 4%. In the Latin American region, Brazil had 67% of incidents that X-Force…

Cost of a data breach 2023: Geographical breakdowns

4 min read - Data breaches can occur anywhere in the world, but they are historically more common in specific countries. Typically, countries with high internet usage and digital services are more prone to data breaches. To that end, IBM’s Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023 looked at 553 organizations of various sizes across 16 countries and geographic regions, and 17 industries. In the report, the top five costs of a data breach by country or region (measured in USD millions) for 2023…