CVE-2019-0231: Mina core Cleartext Transmission Of Sensitive Information Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-5h29-qq92-wj7f
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-319
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-0231 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) cleartext transmission of sensitive information vulnerability (CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information) affecting Mina core libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves cleartext transmission of sensitive information in apache mina. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.0.21, 2.1.1.

CVE-2019-0231 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-0231
GHSA Identifier GHSA-5h29-qq92-wj7f
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information
Affected Product Mina core
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

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:N/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 None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2019-0231

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Mina 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.

org.apache.mina:mina-core fixed: 2.0.21 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.mina</groupId>
    <artifactId>mina-core</artifactId>
    <version>2.0.21</version>
</dependency>
org.apache.mina:mina-core fixed: 2.1.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.mina</groupId>
    <artifactId>mina-core</artifactId>
    <version>2.1.1</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.apache.mina

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2019-0231, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.mina

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Mina core in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.0.21), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.mina 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-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information, where the product transmits sensitive or security-critical data in cleartext in a communication channel that can be sniffed by unauthorized actors. In Mina 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

Handling of the close_notify SSL/TLS message does not lead to a connection closure, leading the server to retain the socket opened and to have the client potentially receive clear text messages afterward. Mitigation: 2.0.20 users should migrate to 2.0.21, 2.1.0 users should migrate to 2.1.1. This issue affects: Apache MINA.

CVE-2019-0231 Affected Mina core Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.0.212.1.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.mina:mina-core
maven/org.apache.mina/mina-core
Maven
< 2.0.21
2.0.21
org.apache.mina:mina-core
maven/org.apache.mina/mina-core
Maven
≥ 2.1.0
< 2.1.1
All 1 versions
2.1.0
2.1.1

References

NVD — CVE-2019-0231 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-0231
mina.apache.org/mina-project/index.... WEB
http://mina.apache.org/mina-project/index.html#mina-211-mina-2021-released-posted-on-april-14-2019

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-0231?
CVE-2019-0231 is a security vulnerability in Mina core involving Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information in Apache MINA under CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information.
Which Mina core versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.0.21, 2.1.1 across affected packages: org.apache.mina:mina-core.
What version fixes CVE-2019-0231?
Upgrading to 2.0.21, 2.1.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is mina-core affected?
Yes, org.apache.mina:mina-core is affected in releases prior to 2.0.21, 2.1.1. Upgrade your dependency to 2.0.21, 2.1.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-0231?
CVE-2019-0231 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-0231?
CVE-2019-0231 is classified under CWE-319: Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information (The product transmits sensitive or security-critical data in cleartext in a communication channel that can be sniffed by unauthorized actors.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2019-0231?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.mina'. 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-5h29-qq92-wj7f",
  "modified" : "2022-06-29T15:48:56Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T16:57:28Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-0231" ],
  "summary" : "Cleartext Transmission of Sensitive Information in Apache MINA",
  "details" : "Handling of the close_notify SSL/TLS message does not lead to a connection closure, leading the server to retain the socket opened and to have the client potentially receive clear text messages afterward. Mitigation: 2.0.20 users should migrate to 2.0.21, 2.1.0 users should migrate to 2.1.1. This issue affects: Apache MINA.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.mina:mina-core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.0.21"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 2.0.20"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.mina:mina-core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.1.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.1.1"
      } ]
    } ],
    "versions" : [ "2.1.0" ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-0231"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://mina.apache.org/mina-project/index.html#mina-211-mina-2021-released-posted-on-april-14-2019"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-319" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-06-29T15:48:56Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2019-10-01T20:15:00Z"
  }
}