CVE-2021-31532: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-236w-64qf-jjqf
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CVSS 6.8
CWE-269
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-31532 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.8) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2021-31532 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-31532
GHSA Identifier GHSA-236w-64qf-jjqf
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.8
CWE Classification CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Physical (AV:P)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2021-31532

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Software dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2021-31532, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Software in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management, where the product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor. In Software, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

NXP LPC55S6x microcontrollers (0A and 1B), i.MX RT500 (silicon rev B1 and B2), i.MX RT600 (silicon rev A0, B0), LPC55S6x, LPC55S2x, LPC552x (silicon rev 0A, 1B), and LPC55S1x, LPC551x (silicon rev 0A) include an undocumented ROM patch peripheral that allows unsigned, non-persistent modification of the internal ROM. The peripheral is accessible from any execution mode (secure/privileged, secure/unprivileged, non-secure/privileged, non-secure/unprivileged). The ROM includes a set of APIs intended for use by a secure application to perform flash and in-application programming (IAP) operations. An attacker may use the ROM patch peripheral to modify the implementation of these ROM APIs from a non-secure, unprivileged context. If a non-secure application can also cause the secure application to invoke these ROM APIs, this provides privilege escalation and arbitrary code execution.

References

NVD — CVE-2021-31532 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-31532
oxide.computer/blog/lpc55 WEB
https://oxide.computer/blog/lpc55
www.nxp.com WEB
https://www.nxp.com

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-31532?
CVE-2021-31532 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2021-31532?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-31532?
CVE-2021-31532 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.8 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-31532?
CVE-2021-31532 is classified under CWE-269: Improper Privilege Management (The product does not properly assign, modify, track, or check privileges for an actor, creating an unintended sphere of control for that actor.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-31532?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-236w-64qf-jjqf",
  "modified" : "2022-07-13T00:01:24Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T19:01:31Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-31532" ],
  "details" : "NXP LPC55S6x microcontrollers (0A and 1B), i.MX RT500 (silicon rev B1 and B2), i.MX RT600 (silicon rev A0, B0), LPC55S6x, LPC55S2x, LPC552x (silicon rev 0A, 1B), and LPC55S1x, LPC551x (silicon rev 0A) include an undocumented ROM patch peripheral that allows unsigned, non-persistent modification of the internal ROM. The peripheral is accessible from any execution mode (secure/privileged, secure/unprivileged, non-secure/privileged, non-secure/unprivileged). The ROM includes a set of APIs intended for use by a secure application to perform flash and in-application programming (IAP) operations. An attacker may use the ROM patch peripheral to modify the implementation of these ROM APIs from a non-secure, unprivileged context. If a non-secure application can also cause the secure application to invoke these ROM APIs, this provides privilege escalation and arbitrary code execution.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-31532"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://oxide.computer/blog/lpc55"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.nxp.com"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-269" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-05-06T13:15:00Z"
  }
}