CVE-2022-31189: Dspace jspui JSPUI's "Internal System Error" Page Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-c2j7-66m3-r4ff
CVSS 5.3
CWE-209
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-31189 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.3) jspui's "internal system error" page vulnerability (CWE-209: Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information) affecting Dspace jspui libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves jspui's "internal system error" page prints exceptions and stack traces without sanitization. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 6.4.

CVE-2022-31189 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-31189
GHSA Identifier GHSA-c2j7-66m3-r4ff
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.3
CWE Classification CWE-209: Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information
Affected Product Dspace jspui
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.3

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:L/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 Low (C:L)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2022-31189

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Dspace jspui 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.dspace:dspace-jspui fixed: 6.4
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.dspace</groupId>
    <artifactId>dspace-jspui</artifactId>
    <version>6.4</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.dspace

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2022-31189, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.dspace

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Dspace jspui in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 6.4), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.dspace 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-209: Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information, where the product generates an error message that includes sensitive information about its environment, users, or associated data. In Dspace jspui, 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 When an "Internal System Error" occurs in the JSPUI, then entire exception (including stack trace) is available. Information in this stacktrace may be useful to an attacker in launching a more sophisticated attack. This vulnerability only impacts the JSPUI. _This vulnerability does NOT impact the XMLUI or 7.x._ ### Patches _DSpace 6.x:_ * Fixed in 6.4 via commit: https://github.com/DSpace/DSpace/commit/afcc6c3389729b85d5c7b0230cbf9aaf7452f31a * 6.x patch file: https://github.com/DSpace/DSpace/commit/afcc6c3389729b85d5c7b0230cbf9aaf7452f31a.patch (may be applied manually if an immediate upgrade to 6.4 or above is not possible) _DSpace 5.x:_ * The 6.x patch file can also be applied to an older 5.x installation. * Alternatively, you can simply apply the workaround documented below. The detailed error information embedded in `internal.jsp` is not necessary for the JSPUI to function. #### Apply the patch to your DSpace If at all possible, we recommend upgrading your DSpace site based on the upgrade instructions. However, if you are unable to do so, you can manually apply the above patches as follows: 1. Download the appropriate patch file to the machine where DSpace is running 2. From the `[dspace-src]` folder, apply the patch, e.g. `git apply [name-of-file].patch` 3. Now, update your DSpace site (based loosely on the Upgrade instructions). This generally involves three steps: 1. Rebuild DSpace, e.g. `mvn -U clean package` (This will recompile all DSpace code) 2. Redeploy DSpace, e.g. `ant update` (This will copy all updated WARs / configs to your installation directory). Depending on your setup you also may need to copy the updated WARs over to your Tomcat webapps folder. 3. Restart Tomcat ### Workarounds The detailed error information embedded in `internal.jsp` is not necessary for the JSPUI to function. Because this error information is also available in the `dspace.log` files, it does not need to be displayed in `internal.jsp`. Modify your `internal.jsp`, and disable the display of the error message. This is most easily done by setting the returned exception to "null" at all times. For example, add a new line between line number 43 and 44 ``` // This line should exist around line number 43 Throwable ex = (Throwable) request.getAttribute("javax.servlet.error.exception"); // Add workaround for security issue. Ensure exception is always set to null. ex = null; // This line should exist around line number 44 if(ex == null) out.println("No stack trace available<br/>"); ``` ### References Discovered & reported by Ozkan Erdogan (Brunel University London) ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory: * Email us at security@dspace.org

CVE-2022-31189 Affected Dspace jspui Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
6.4
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.dspace:dspace-jspui
Maven
≥ 4.0
< 6.4
6.4

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-31189?
CVE-2022-31189 is a security vulnerability in Dspace jspui involving JSPUI's "Internal System Error" page prints exceptions and stack traces without sanitization under CWE-209: Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information.
Which Dspace jspui versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 6.4 across affected packages: org.dspace:dspace-jspui.
What version fixes CVE-2022-31189?
Upgrading to 6.4 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is dspace-jspui affected?
Yes, org.dspace:dspace-jspui is affected in releases prior to 6.4. Upgrade your dependency to 6.4 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-31189?
CVE-2022-31189 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-31189?
CVE-2022-31189 is classified under CWE-209: Generation of Error Message Containing Sensitive Information (The product generates an error message that includes sensitive information about its environment, users, or associated data.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2022-31189?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.dspace'. 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-c2j7-66m3-r4ff",
  "modified" : "2022-08-06T05:39:46Z",
  "published" : "2022-08-06T05:39:46Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-31189" ],
  "summary" : "JSPUI's \"Internal System Error\" page prints exceptions and stack traces without sanitization",
  "details" : "### Impact\nWhen an \"Internal System Error\" occurs in the JSPUI, then entire exception (including stack trace) is available. Information in this stacktrace may be useful to an attacker in launching a more sophisticated attack.  This vulnerability only impacts the JSPUI.\n\n_This vulnerability does NOT impact the XMLUI or 7.x._\n\n### Patches\n\n_DSpace 6.x:_\n* Fixed in 6.4 via commit: https://github.com/DSpace/DSpace/commit/afcc6c3389729b85d5c7b0230cbf9aaf7452f31a\n* 6.x patch file: https://github.com/DSpace/DSpace/commit/afcc6c3389729b85d5c7b0230cbf9aaf7452f31a.patch (may be applied manually if an immediate upgrade to 6.4 or above is not possible)\n\n_DSpace 5.x:_\n* The 6.x patch file can also be applied to an older 5.x installation.\n* Alternatively, you can simply apply the workaround documented below.  The detailed error information embedded in `internal.jsp` is not necessary for the JSPUI to function.\n\n#### Apply the patch to your DSpace\nIf at all possible, we recommend upgrading your DSpace site based on the upgrade instructions. However, if you are unable to do so, you can manually apply the above patches as follows:\n1. Download the appropriate patch file to the machine where DSpace is running\n2. From the `[dspace-src]` folder, apply the patch, e.g. `git apply [name-of-file].patch`\n3. Now, update your DSpace site (based loosely on the Upgrade instructions). This generally involves three steps:\n    1. Rebuild DSpace, e.g. `mvn -U clean package`  (This will recompile all DSpace code)\n    2. Redeploy DSpace, e.g. `ant update`  (This will copy all updated WARs / configs to your installation directory). Depending on your setup you also may need to copy the updated WARs over to your Tomcat webapps folder.\n    3. Restart Tomcat\n\n### Workarounds\n\nThe detailed error information embedded in `internal.jsp` is not necessary for the JSPUI to function.  Because this error information is also available in the `dspace.log` files, it does not need to be displayed in `internal.jsp`.\n\nModify your `internal.jsp`, and disable the display of the error message. This is most easily done by setting the returned exception to \"null\" at all times.  For example, add a new line between line number 43 and 44\n\n```\n// This line should exist around line number 43\nThrowable ex = (Throwable) request.getAttribute(\"javax.servlet.error.exception\");\n// Add workaround for security issue. Ensure exception is always set to null.\nex = null;\n// This line should exist around line number 44\nif(ex == null) out.println(\"No stack trace available<br/>\");\n```\n\n### References\nDiscovered & reported by Ozkan Erdogan (Brunel University London)\n\n### For more information\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory:\n* Email us at security@dspace.org",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.dspace:dspace-jspui"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "6.4"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 6.3"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/DSpace/DSpace/security/advisories/GHSA-c2j7-66m3-r4ff"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-31189"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/DSpace/DSpace/commit/afcc6c3389729b85d5c7b0230cbf9aaf7452f31a"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/DSpace/DSpace"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-209" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-08-06T05:39:46Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-08-01T21:15:00Z"
  }
}