CVE-2020-11980: Org.apache.karaf.management.server Server-Side Request Forgery Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-9jg9-6wm2-x7p5
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CVSS 6.3
CWE-918
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-11980 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.3) server-side request forgery vulnerability (CWE-918: Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)) affecting Org.apache.karaf.management.server libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves server-side request forgery in karaf. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.2.9.

CVE-2020-11980 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-11980
GHSA Identifier GHSA-9jg9-6wm2-x7p5
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.3
CWE Classification CWE-918: Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)
Affected Product Org.apache.karaf.management.server
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.3

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

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 Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2020-11980

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Org.apache.karaf.management.server 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.management:org.apache.karaf.management.server fixed: 4.2.9 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.karaf.management</groupId>
    <artifactId>org.apache.karaf.management.server</artifactId>
    <version>4.2.9</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.management

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-11980, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

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

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Org.apache.karaf.management.server in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.2.9), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.karaf.management 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-918: Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF), where the web server receives a url or similar request from an upstream component and retrieves the contents of this url, but it does not sufficiently ensure that the request is being sent to the expected destination. In Org.apache.karaf.management.server, 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

In Karaf, JMX authentication takes place using JAAS and authorization takes place using ACL files. By default, only an "admin" can actually invoke on an MBean. However there is a vulnerability there for someone who is not an admin, but has a "viewer" role. In the 'etc/jmx.acl.cfg', such as role can call get*. It's possible to authenticate as a viewer role + invokes on the MLet getMBeansFromURL method, which goes off to a remote server to fetch the desired MBean, which is then registered in Karaf. At this point the attack fails as "viewer" doesn't have the permission to invoke on the MBean. Still, it could act as a SSRF style attack and also it essentially allows a "viewer" role to pollute the MBean registry, which is a kind of privilege escalation. The vulnerability is low as it's possible to add a ACL to limit access. Users should update to Apache Karaf 4.2.9 or newer.

CVE-2020-11980 Affected Org.apache.karaf.management.server Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.2.9
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.karaf.management:org.apache.karaf.management.server
maven/org.apache.karaf.management/org.apache.karaf.management.server
Maven
< 4.2.9
4.2.9

References

NVD — CVE-2020-11980 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-11980
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/apache/karaf/commit/3e4c4bed2d08e81ca5961ab5fcadab23470db1c9
Org.apache.karaf.management.server Security Information SECURITY
http://karaf.apache.org/security/cve-2020-11980.txt

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-11980?
CVE-2020-11980 is a security vulnerability in Org.apache.karaf.management.server involving Server-Side Request Forgery in Karaf under CWE-918: Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF).
Which Org.apache.karaf.management.server versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.2.9 across affected packages: org.apache.karaf.management:org.apache.karaf.management.server.
What version fixes CVE-2020-11980?
Upgrading to 4.2.9 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is org.apache.karaf.management.server affected?
Yes, org.apache.karaf.management:org.apache.karaf.management.server is affected in releases prior to 4.2.9. Upgrade your dependency to 4.2.9 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-11980?
CVE-2020-11980 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-11980?
CVE-2020-11980 is classified under CWE-918: Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) (The web server receives a URL or similar request from an upstream component and retrieves the contents of this URL, but it does not sufficiently ensure that the request is being sent to the expected destination.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-11980?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.karaf.management'. 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-9jg9-6wm2-x7p5",
  "modified" : "2021-05-13T15:36:05Z",
  "published" : "2022-02-10T23:04:32Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-11980" ],
  "summary" : "Server-Side Request Forgery in Karaf",
  "details" : "In Karaf, JMX authentication takes place using JAAS and authorization takes place using ACL files. By default, only an \"admin\" can actually invoke on an MBean. However there is a vulnerability there for someone who is not an admin, but has a \"viewer\" role. In the 'etc/jmx.acl.cfg', such as role can call get*. It's possible to authenticate as a viewer role + invokes on the MLet getMBeansFromURL method, which goes off to a remote server to fetch the desired MBean, which is then registered in Karaf. At this point the attack fails as \"viewer\" doesn't have the permission to invoke on the MBean. Still, it could act as a SSRF style attack and also it essentially allows a \"viewer\" role to pollute the MBean registry, which is a kind of privilege escalation. The vulnerability is low as it's possible to add a ACL to limit access. Users should update to Apache Karaf 4.2.9 or newer.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.karaf.management:org.apache.karaf.management.server"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.2.9"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-11980"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/karaf/commit/3e4c4bed2d08e81ca5961ab5fcadab23470db1c9"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://karaf.apache.org/security/cve-2020-11980.txt"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-918" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-05-13T15:36:05Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-06-12T22:15:00Z"
  }
}