CVE-2022-23532: Apoc Path Traversal Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-5v8v-gwmw-qw97
CVSS 7.1
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-23532 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.1) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Apoc libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves apoc path traversal vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.3.0.12, 4.4.0.12.

CVE-2022-23532 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-23532
GHSA Identifier GHSA-5v8v-gwmw-qw97
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.1
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Apoc
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.1

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2022-23532

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Apoc 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.neo4j.procedure:apoc fixed: 4.3.0.12
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.neo4j.procedure</groupId>
    <artifactId>apoc</artifactId>
    <version>4.3.0.12</version>
</dependency>
org.neo4j.procedure:apoc fixed: 4.4.0.12
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.neo4j.procedure</groupId>
    <artifactId>apoc</artifactId>
    <version>4.4.0.12</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.neo4j.procedure

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2022-23532, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.neo4j.procedure

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Apoc in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.3.0.12), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.neo4j.procedure 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 Apoc, 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 Path Traversal Vulnerability found in the apoc.export.* procedures of apoc plugins in Neo4j Graph database. The issue allows a malicious actor to potentially break out of the expected directory. The vulnerability is such that files could only be created but not overwritten. For the vulnerability to be exploited, an attacker would need access to execute an arbitrary query, either by having access to an authenticated Neo4j client, or a Cypher injection vulnerability in an application. The procedure would need to have been allow listed in the neo4j configuration as well as having the apoc config `apoc.export.file.enabled` set to true. On a UNIX based system the following query allows arbitrary write access to the tmp folder: CALL apoc.export.csv.query('RETURN 1', 'file:///..//..//..//..//tmp/test.txt', {}) ### Patches The users should aim to use the latest released version compatible with their Neo4j version. The minimum versions containing patch for this vulnerability are 4.4.0.12 and 4.3.0.12. ### Workarounds If you cannot upgrade the library, you can control the [allowlist of the ](https://neo4j.com/docs/operations-manual/current/reference/configuration-settings/#config_dbms.security.procedures.allowlist)procedures that can be used in your system, and/or turn off local file access by setting apoc.export.file.enabled=false ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory: * Open an issue in [neo4j-apoc-procedures](https://github.com/neo4j-contrib/neo4j-apoc-procedures) * Email us at [security@neo4j.com](mailto:security@neo4j.com) ### Credits We want to publicly recognise the contribution Adam Reziouk - Airbus.

CVE-2022-23532 Affected Apoc Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.3.0.124.4.0.12
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.neo4j.procedure:apoc
Maven
< 4.3.0.12
4.3.0.12
org.neo4j.procedure:apoc
Maven
≥ 4.4.0.0
< 4.4.0.12
4.4.0.12

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-23532?
CVE-2022-23532 is a security vulnerability in Apoc involving apoc Path Traversal Vulnerability under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Apoc versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.3.0.12, 4.4.0.12 across affected packages: org.neo4j.procedure:apoc.
What version fixes CVE-2022-23532?
Upgrading to 4.3.0.12, 4.4.0.12 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is apoc affected?
Yes, org.neo4j.procedure:apoc is affected in releases prior to 4.3.0.12, 4.4.0.12. Upgrade your dependency to 4.3.0.12, 4.4.0.12 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-23532?
CVE-2022-23532 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-23532?
CVE-2022-23532 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-2022-23532?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.neo4j.procedure'. 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-5v8v-gwmw-qw97",
  "modified" : "2023-01-24T18:06:35Z",
  "published" : "2023-01-13T21:28:46Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-23532" ],
  "summary" : "org.neo4j.procedure:apoc Path Traversal Vulnerability",
  "details" : "### Impact\nA Path Traversal Vulnerability found in the apoc.export.* procedures of apoc plugins in Neo4j Graph database.\nThe issue allows a malicious actor to potentially break out of the expected directory. The vulnerability is such that files could only be created but not overwritten.\n\nFor the vulnerability to be exploited, an attacker would need access to execute an arbitrary query, either by having access to an authenticated Neo4j client, or a Cypher injection vulnerability in an application. The procedure would need to have been allow listed in the neo4j configuration as well as having the apoc config `apoc.export.file.enabled` set to true. \n\nOn a UNIX based system the following query allows arbitrary write access to the tmp folder:\n\nCALL apoc.export.csv.query('RETURN 1', 'file:///..//..//..//..//tmp/test.txt', {})\n\n### Patches\nThe users should aim to use the latest released version compatible with their Neo4j version. The minimum versions containing patch for this vulnerability are 4.4.0.12 and 4.3.0.12.\n\n### Workarounds\nIf you cannot upgrade the library, you can control the [allowlist of the ](https://neo4j.com/docs/operations-manual/current/reference/configuration-settings/#config_dbms.security.procedures.allowlist)procedures that can be used in your system, and/or turn off local file access by setting apoc.export.file.enabled=false\n\n### For more information\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory:\n* Open an issue in [neo4j-apoc-procedures](https://github.com/neo4j-contrib/neo4j-apoc-procedures)\n* Email us at [security@neo4j.com](mailto:security@neo4j.com)\n\n### Credits\nWe want to publicly recognise the contribution Adam Reziouk - Airbus.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.neo4j.procedure:apoc"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.3.0.12"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.neo4j.procedure:apoc"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.4.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.4.0.12"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/neo4j-contrib/neo4j-apoc-procedures/security/advisories/GHSA-5v8v-gwmw-qw97"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-23532"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/neo4j-contrib/neo4j-apoc-procedures/commit/01e63ed2d187cd2a8aa1d78bf831ef0fdd69b522"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/neo4j-contrib/neo4j-apoc-procedures"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-01-13T21:28:46Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-01-14T01:15:00Z"
  }
}