CVE-2020-5411: Spring Framework Deserialization Of Untrusted Data Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-4ph4-q9r5-6wm6
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CVSS 8.1
CWE-502
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-5411 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.1) deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability (CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data) affecting Spring Framework libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves deserialization of untrusted data in spring batch. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.2.3.

CVE-2020-5411 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-5411
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4ph4-q9r5-6wm6
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data
Affected Product Spring Framework
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.1

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
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-2020-5411

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Spring Framework 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.springframework.batch:spring-batch-core fixed: 4.2.3 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.batch</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-batch-core</artifactId>
    <version>4.2.3</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.springframework.batch

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-5411, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework.batch

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Spring Framework in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.2.3), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework.batch 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-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data, where the product deserializes untrusted data without sufficiently ensuring that the resulting data will be valid. In Spring Framework, 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

When configured to enable default typing, Jackson contained a deserialization vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary code execution. Jackson fixed this vulnerability by blacklisting known "deserialization gadgets". Spring Batch configures Jackson with global default typing enabled which means that through the previous exploit, arbitrary code could be executed if all of the following is true: * Spring Batch's Jackson support is being leveraged to serialize a job's ExecutionContext. * A malicious user gains write access to the data store used by the JobRepository (where the data to be deserialized is stored). In order to protect against this type of attack, Jackson prevents a set of untrusted gadget classes from being deserialized. Spring Batch should be proactive against blocking unknown "deserialization gadgets" when enabling default typing.

CVE-2020-5411 Affected Spring Framework Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.2.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.springframework.batch:spring-batch-core
maven/org.springframework.batch/spring-batch-core
Maven
≥ 4.0.0
< 4.2.3
4.2.3

References

NVD — CVE-2020-5411 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-5411
Spring Framework Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-batch
Spring Framework Security Information SECURITY
https://tanzu.vmware.com/security/cve-2020-5411

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-5411?
CVE-2020-5411 is a security vulnerability in Spring Framework involving Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Spring Batch under CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data.
Which Spring Framework versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.2.3 across affected packages: org.springframework.batch:spring-batch-core.
What version fixes CVE-2020-5411?
Upgrading to 4.2.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is spring-batch-core affected?
Yes, org.springframework.batch:spring-batch-core is affected in releases prior to 4.2.3. Upgrade your dependency to 4.2.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-5411?
CVE-2020-5411 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-5411?
CVE-2020-5411 is classified under CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data (The product deserializes untrusted data without sufficiently ensuring that the resulting data will be valid.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-5411?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework.batch'. 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-4ph4-q9r5-6wm6",
  "modified" : "2022-06-23T18:02:43Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T17:20:22Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-5411" ],
  "summary" : "Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Spring Batch",
  "details" : "When configured to enable default typing, Jackson contained a deserialization vulnerability that could lead to arbitrary code execution. Jackson fixed this vulnerability by blacklisting known \"deserialization gadgets\". Spring Batch configures Jackson with global default typing enabled which means that through the previous exploit, arbitrary code could be executed if all of the following is true: * Spring Batch's Jackson support is being leveraged to serialize a job's ExecutionContext. * A malicious user gains write access to the data store used by the JobRepository (where the data to be deserialized is stored). In order to protect against this type of attack, Jackson prevents a set of untrusted gadget classes from being deserialized. Spring Batch should be proactive against blocking unknown \"deserialization gadgets\" when enabling default typing.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.springframework.batch:spring-batch-core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.2.3"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 4.2.2"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-5411"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-batch"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://tanzu.vmware.com/security/cve-2020-5411"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-502" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-06-23T18:02:43Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-06-11T17:15:00Z"
  }
}