Cis Cassandra40 V130 2.2

---
name: cis-cassandra40-v130-2.2
description: "Ensure that authorization is enabled for Cassandra databases"
category: cis-cassandra
version: "1.3.0"
author: cyberstrike-official
tags: [cis, cassandra, authentication, authorization]
cis_id: "2.2"
cis_benchmark: "CIS Apache Cassandra 4.0 Benchmark v1.3.0"
tech_stack: [cassandra]
cwe_ids: []
chains_with: []
prerequisites: []
severity_boost: {}
---

# 2.2 Ensure that authorization is enabled for Cassandra databases

## Profile Applicability

- Level 1 - Cassandra on Linux

## Description

Authorization is pluggable in Cassandra and is configured using the `authorizer` setting in `cassandra.yaml`. Cassandra ships with two options included in the default distribution, `AllowAllAuthenticator` and `CassandraAuthorizer`. The default, `AllowAllAuthenticator` performs no checking which grants all permissions to all roles. The second option, `CassandraAuthorizer`, implements full permissions management functionality and stores its data in Cassandra system tables.

## Rationale

Authorizing roles is an important step towards ensuring only authorized access to the Cassandra database tables is permitted. It also provides the requisite means of implementing least privilege best practices. The authorization mechanism should be implemented before anyone accesses the Cassandra database.

## Audit

Run the following command to verify whether authorization is enabled (authorization values set to `CassandraAuthorizer`) on the Cassandra server.

The Cassandra configuration files can be found in the conf directory of tarballs. For packages, the configuration files will be located in /etc/cassandra.

```bash
cat cassandra.yaml | grep -in "authorizer:"
```

If `authorizer` is set to `AllowAllAuthorizer`, then this is a finding.

## Remediation

To enable the authorization mechanism:

1. Stop the Cassandra database.
2. Modify cassandra.yaml file to modify/add entry for authorization: set it to CassandraAuthorizer
3. Start the Cassandra database.

## Default Value

```
authorizer: AllowAllAuthorizer
```

## Additional Information

The `authorizer` must be configured to `AllowAllAuthorizer` if `AllowAllAuthenticator` is the configured authenticator.

## References

1. http://cassandra.apache.org/doc/latest/getting_started/configuring.html
2. http://cassandra.apache.org/doc/latest/operating/security.html

## CIS Controls

**Controls Version v8:**

- 16.11 Leverage Vetted Modules or Services for Application Security Components
  - Leverage vetted modules or services for application security components, such as identity management, encryption, and auditing and logging. Using platform features in critical security functions will reduce developers' workload and minimize the likelihood of design or implementation errors. Modern operating systems provide effective mechanisms for identification, authentication, and authorization and make those mechanisms available to applications. Use only standardized, currently accepted, and extensively reviewed encryption algorithms. Operating systems also provide mechanisms to create and maintain secure audit logs.

**Controls Version v7:**

- 14.7 Enforce Access Control to Data through Automated Tools
  - Use an automated tool, such as host-based Data Loss Prevention, to enforce access controls to data even when data is copied off a system.

## Profile

- Level 1 | Automated