CVE-2023-46131: Grails databinding Denial of Service Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-3pjv-r7w4-2cf5
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CVSS 6.5
CWE-400
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-46131 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) denial of service vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting Grails databinding libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves grails data binding causes jvm crash and/or other denial of service. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 6.1.0, 5.3.4, 4.1.3, 3.3.17.

CVE-2023-46131 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-46131
GHSA Identifier GHSA-3pjv-r7w4-2cf5
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product Grails databinding
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.5

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:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

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

How to Fix CVE-2023-46131

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Grails databinding 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.grails:grails-databinding fixed: 6.1.0 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.grails</groupId>
    <artifactId>grails-databinding</artifactId>
    <version>6.1.0</version>
</dependency>
org.grails:grails-databinding fixed: 5.3.4 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.grails</groupId>
    <artifactId>grails-databinding</artifactId>
    <version>5.3.4</version>
</dependency>
org.grails:grails-databinding fixed: 4.1.3 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.grails</groupId>
    <artifactId>grails-databinding</artifactId>
    <version>4.1.3</version>
</dependency>
org.grails:grails-databinding fixed: 3.3.17 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.grails</groupId>
    <artifactId>grails-databinding</artifactId>
    <version>3.3.17</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.grails

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2023-46131, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.grails

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Grails databinding in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 6.1.0), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.grails 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-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, where the product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource. In Grails databinding, 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

### Impact A specially crafted web request can lead to a JVM crash or denial of service. Any Grails framework application using Grails data binding is vulnerable. ### Patches Patches are available for Grails 3 and later. ### Workarounds No workaround is possible except to avoid data binding to request data. ### References - [Blog post](https://grails.org/blog/2023-12-20-cve-data-binding-dos.html) - [Discussion](https://github.com/grails/grails-core/issues/13302) - [Mitre CVD record](https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2023-46131)

CVE-2023-46131 Affected Grails databinding Versions

4 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
6.1.05.3.44.1.33.3.17
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.grails:grails-databinding
maven/org.grails/grails-databinding
Maven
≥ 6.0.0
< 6.1.0
6.1.0
org.grails:grails-databinding
maven/org.grails/grails-databinding
Maven
≥ 5.0.0
< 5.3.4
5.3.4
org.grails:grails-databinding
maven/org.grails/grails-databinding
Maven
≥ 4.0.0
< 4.1.3
4.1.3
org.grails:grails-databinding
maven/org.grails/grails-databinding
Maven
≥ 2.0.0
< 3.3.17
3.3.17

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/grails/grails-core/security/advisories/GHSA-3pjv-r7w4-2cf5
NVD — CVE-2023-46131 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-46131
Grails databinding Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/grails/grails-core/issues/13302
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/grails/grails-core/commit/74326bdd2cf7dcb594092165e9464520f8366c60
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/grails/grails-core/commit/c401faaa6c24c021c758b95f72304a0e855a8db3
Grails databinding Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/grails/grails-core
grails.org/blog/2023-12-20-cve... WEB
https://grails.org/blog/2023-12-20-cve-data-binding-dos.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-46131?
CVE-2023-46131 is a security vulnerability in Grails databinding involving Grails data binding causes JVM crash and/or other denial of service under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which Grails databinding versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 6.1.0, 5.3.4, 4.1.3, 3.3.17 across affected packages: org.grails:grails-databinding.
What version fixes CVE-2023-46131?
Upgrading to 6.1.0, 5.3.4, 4.1.3, 3.3.17 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is grails-databinding affected?
Yes, org.grails:grails-databinding is affected in releases prior to 6.1.0, 5.3.4, 4.1.3, 3.3.17. Upgrade your dependency to 6.1.0, 5.3.4, 4.1.3, 3.3.17 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-46131?
CVE-2023-46131 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-46131?
CVE-2023-46131 is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2023-46131?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.grails'. 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-3pjv-r7w4-2cf5",
  "modified" : "2023-12-21T15:53:49Z",
  "published" : "2023-12-20T21:12:09Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-46131" ],
  "summary" : "Grails data binding causes JVM crash and/or other denial of service",
  "details" : "### Impact\nA specially crafted web request can lead to a JVM crash or denial of service. Any Grails framework application using Grails data binding is vulnerable.\n\n### Patches\nPatches are available for Grails 3 and later.\n\n### Workarounds\nNo workaround is possible except to avoid data binding to request data.\n\n### References\n\n- [Blog post](https://grails.org/blog/2023-12-20-cve-data-binding-dos.html)\n- [Discussion](https://github.com/grails/grails-core/issues/13302)\n- [Mitre CVD record](https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2023-46131)\n",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.grails:grails-databinding"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "6.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "6.1.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.grails:grails-databinding"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.3.4"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.grails:grails-databinding"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.1.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.grails:grails-databinding"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.3.17"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/grails/grails-core/security/advisories/GHSA-3pjv-r7w4-2cf5"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-46131"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/grails/grails-core/issues/13302"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/grails/grails-core/commit/74326bdd2cf7dcb594092165e9464520f8366c60"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/grails/grails-core/commit/c401faaa6c24c021c758b95f72304a0e855a8db3"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/grails/grails-core"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://grails.org/blog/2023-12-20-cve-data-binding-dos.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-400" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-12-20T21:12:09Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-12-21T00:15:25Z"
  }
}