CVE-2019-0191: Karaf Apache-karaf And Org.apache.karaf:karaf Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-869j-5855-hjpm
Share
CVSS 6.5
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-0191 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) apache-karaf and org.apache.karaf:karaf vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Karaf libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves apache-karaf and org.apache.karaf:karaf. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.2.3.

CVE-2019-0191 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-0191
GHSA Identifier GHSA-869j-5855-hjpm
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Karaf
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:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2019-0191

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Karaf 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.karaf:karaf fixed: 4.2.3 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.karaf</groupId>
    <artifactId>karaf</artifactId>
    <version>4.2.3</version>
</dependency>
org.apache.karaf:apache-karaf fixed: 4.2.3 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.karaf</groupId>
    <artifactId>apache-karaf</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.apache.karaf

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2019-0191, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

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

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Karaf 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.apache.karaf 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 Karaf, 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

Apache Karaf kar deployer reads .kar archives and extracts the paths from the "repository/" and "resources/" entries in the zip file. It then writes out the content of these paths to the Karaf repo and resources directories. However, it doesn't do any validation on the paths in the zip file. This means that a malicious user could craft a .kar file with ".." directory names and break out of the directories to write arbitrary content to the filesystem. This is the "Zip-slip" vulnerability - https://snyk.io/research/zip-slip-vulnerability. This vulnerability is low if the Karaf process user has limited permission on the filesystem. Any Apache Karaf releases prior 4.2.3 is impacted.

CVE-2019-0191 Affected Karaf Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.2.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.karaf:karaf
maven/org.apache.karaf/karaf
Maven
< 4.2.3
4.2.3
org.apache.karaf:apache-karaf
maven/org.apache.karaf/apache-karaf
Maven
< 4.2.3
4.2.3

References

NVD — CVE-2019-0191 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-0191
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-869j-5855-hjpm
lists.apache.org/thread.html/6856aa7... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/6856aa7ed7dd805eaf65d0e5e95027dda3b2307aacd1ab4a838c5cd1@%3Cuser.karaf.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/cef9a2d... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/cef9a2d4b547625e5214684283ac5c59c9d9740e092e777dc3f85070@%3Ccommits.karaf.apache.org%3E
Karaf Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/107462

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-0191?
CVE-2019-0191 is a security vulnerability in Karaf involving apache-karaf and org.apache.karaf:karaf under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Karaf versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.2.3 across affected packages: org.apache.karaf:karaf, org.apache.karaf:apache-karaf.
What version fixes CVE-2019-0191?
Upgrading to 4.2.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is karaf affected?
Yes, org.apache.karaf:karaf is affected in releases prior to 4.2.3. Upgrade your dependency to 4.2.3 or later.
Is apache-karaf affected?
Yes, org.apache.karaf:apache-karaf 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-2019-0191?
CVE-2019-0191 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-0191?
CVE-2019-0191 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-2019-0191?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.karaf'. 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 
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  "id" : "GHSA-869j-5855-hjpm",
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  "published" : "2019-03-25T16:16:44Z",
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  "summary" : "Moderate severity vulnerability that affects org.apache.karaf:apache-karaf and org.apache.karaf:karaf",
  "details" : "Apache Karaf kar deployer reads .kar archives and extracts the paths from the \"repository/\" and \"resources/\" entries in the zip file. It then writes out the content of these paths to the Karaf repo and resources directories. However, it doesn't do any validation on the paths in the zip file. This means that a malicious user could craft a .kar file with \"..\" directory names and break out of the directories to write arbitrary content to the filesystem. This is the \"Zip-slip\" vulnerability - https://snyk.io/research/zip-slip-vulnerability. This vulnerability is low if the Karaf process user has limited permission on the filesystem. Any Apache Karaf releases prior 4.2.3 is impacted.",
  "severity" : [ {
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  "database_specific" : {
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    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:24:31Z",
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}