CVE-2023-45278: Yamcs Path Traversal Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-43fw-536j-w37j
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CVSS 9.1
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-45278 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.1) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Yamcs libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves yamcs api directory traversal vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 5.8.7.

CVE-2023-45278 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-45278
GHSA Identifier GHSA-43fw-536j-w37j
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.1
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Yamcs
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:N/I:H/A:H).

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 None (C:N)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2023-45278

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Yamcs 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.yamcs:yamcs fixed: 5.8.7 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.yamcs</groupId>
    <artifactId>yamcs</artifactId>
    <version>5.8.7</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.yamcs

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2023-45278, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.yamcs

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Yamcs in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 5.8.7), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.yamcs 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-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. In Yamcs, 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

Directory Traversal vulnerability in the storage functionality of the API in Yamcs 5.8.6 allows attackers to delete arbitrary files via crafted HTTP DELETE request.

CVE-2023-45278 Affected Yamcs Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
5.8.7
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.yamcs:yamcs
maven/org.yamcs/yamcs
Maven
< 5.8.7
5.8.7

References

NVD — CVE-2023-45278 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-45278
Yamcs Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/yamcs/yamcs
Yamcs Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/yamcs/yamcs/compare/yamcs-5.8.6...yamcs-5.8.7
www.linkedin.com/pulse/yamcs-vulnera... WEB
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/yamcs-vulnerability-assessment-visionspace-technologies

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-45278?
CVE-2023-45278 is a security vulnerability in Yamcs involving Yamcs API Directory Traversal vulnerability under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Yamcs versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 5.8.7 across affected packages: org.yamcs:yamcs.
What version fixes CVE-2023-45278?
Upgrading to 5.8.7 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is yamcs affected?
Yes, org.yamcs:yamcs is affected in releases prior to 5.8.7. Upgrade your dependency to 5.8.7 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-45278?
CVE-2023-45278 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:N/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-45278?
CVE-2023-45278 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2023-45278?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.yamcs'. 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-43fw-536j-w37j",
  "modified" : "2023-10-25T16:57:42Z",
  "published" : "2023-10-19T18:30:30Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-45278" ],
  "summary" : "Yamcs API Directory Traversal vulnerability",
  "details" : "Directory Traversal vulnerability in the storage functionality of the API in Yamcs 5.8.6 allows attackers to delete arbitrary files via crafted HTTP DELETE request.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.yamcs:yamcs"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.8.7"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-45278"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/yamcs/yamcs"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/yamcs/yamcs/compare/yamcs-5.8.6...yamcs-5.8.7"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/yamcs-vulnerability-assessment-visionspace-technologies"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-10-19T20:03:18Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-10-19T17:15:10Z"
  }
}