CVE-2020-5289: Elide core Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
HIGHCVE-2020-5289 is a HIGH (CVSS 6.8) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-285: Improper Authorization) affecting Elide core libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves read permissions not enforced for client provided filter expressions in elide.. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.5.14.
CVE-2020-5289 at a Glance
Security Impact
CVSS: 6.8
The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N).
How to Fix CVE-2020-5289
To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Elide core dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.
<dependency>
<groupId>com.yahoo.elide</groupId>
<artifactId>elide-core</artifactId>
<version>4.5.14</version>
</dependency>Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.yahoo.elideHow to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-5289, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.yahoo.elideAnalyze the terminal output to locate any version of Elide core in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.5.14), your application is affected.
Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.yahoo.elide 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-285: Improper Authorization, where the product does not perform or incorrectly performs an authorization check when an actor attempts to access a resource or perform an action. In Elide core, 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
CVE-2020-5289 Affected Elide core Versions
1 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
com.yahoo.elide:elide-core
|
Maven |
< 4.5.14
|
4.5.14
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2020-5289?
Which Elide core versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2020-5289?
Is elide-core affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-5289?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-5289?
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-5289?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-2mxr-89gf-rc4v",
"modified" : "2021-01-08T20:25:19Z",
"published" : "2020-03-30T20:09:58Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-5289" ],
"summary" : "Read permissions not enforced for client provided filter expressions in Elide.",
"details" : "### Impact\nIt is possible for an adversary to \"guess and check\" the value of a model field they do not have access to assuming they can read at least one other field in the model. The adversary can construct filter expressions for an inaccessible field to filter a collection. The presence or absence of models in the returned collection can be used to reconstruct the value of the inaccessible field.\n\nFor example, a User model has two fields: _name_ and _role_. The adversary has read permissions to see the _name_ field of the User collection but not the _role_. By constructing a filter like the one below, the adversary can determine which users have admin role by presence or absence in the returned collection:\n`filter=role==\"Admin\"`\n\n### Patches\nResolved in Elide 4.5.14 and greater.\n\n### Workarounds\nThe adversary can only access the fields if a model includes fields with different read permission levels (some less secure and some more secure). Model security can be adjusted by restricting read permissions on existing models.\n\n### References\nFixed in https://github.com/yahoo/elide/pull/1236\n\n### For more information\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory:\n* Open an issue in [elide](https://github.com/yahoo/elide)\n* Contact us at [spectrum](https://spectrum.chat/elide?tab=posts)",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "com.yahoo.elide:elide-core"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "4.5.14"
} ]
} ]
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/yahoo/elide/security/advisories/GHSA-2mxr-89gf-rc4v"
}, {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-5289"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/yahoo/elide/pull/1236"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/yahoo/elide/pull/1236/commits/a985f0f9c448aabe70bc904337096399de4576dc"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-285" ],
"severity" : "HIGH",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2020-03-30T20:08:40Z",
"nvd_published_at" : null
}
}