CVE-2020-3517: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-8cw5-4pj3-6hp9
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CVSS 8.6
CWE-476
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-3517 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.6) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is null.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2020-3517 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-3517
GHSA Identifier GHSA-8cw5-4pj3-6hp9
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.6
CWE Classification CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.6

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:C/C:N/I:N/A:H).

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

How to Fix CVE-2020-3517

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Software dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

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

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-3517, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

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

Note: The mvn dependency:tree 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-476: NULL Pointer Dereference, where the product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is null. In Software, 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

A vulnerability in the Cisco Fabric Services component of Cisco FXOS Software and Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an unauthenticated attacker to cause process crashes, which could result in a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. The attack vector is configuration dependent and could be remote or adjacent. For more information about the attack vector, see the Details section of this advisory. The vulnerability is due to insufficient error handling when the affected software parses Cisco Fabric Services messages. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending malicious Cisco Fabric Services messages to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause a reload of an affected device, which could result in a DoS condition.

References

NVD — CVE-2020-3517 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-3517
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-fxos-nxos-cfs-dos-dAmnymbd

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-3517?
CVE-2020-3517 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2020-3517?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-3517?
CVE-2020-3517 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.6 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-3517?
CVE-2020-3517 is classified under CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference (The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-3517?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. 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-8cw5-4pj3-6hp9",
  "modified" : "2022-08-03T00:00:56Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T17:26:51Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-3517" ],
  "details" : "A vulnerability in the Cisco Fabric Services component of Cisco FXOS Software and Cisco NX-OS Software could allow an unauthenticated attacker to cause process crashes, which could result in a denial of service (DoS) condition on an affected device. The attack vector is configuration dependent and could be remote or adjacent. For more information about the attack vector, see the Details section of this advisory. The vulnerability is due to insufficient error handling when the affected software parses Cisco Fabric Services messages. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending malicious Cisco Fabric Services messages to an affected device. A successful exploit could allow the attacker to cause a reload of an affected device, which could result in a DoS condition.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-3517"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://tools.cisco.com/security/center/content/CiscoSecurityAdvisory/cisco-sa-fxos-nxos-cfs-dos-dAmnymbd"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-476" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-08-27T16:15:00Z"
  }
}