CVE-2017-20285: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-c454-fc94-q86x
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CVSS 9.1
CWE-470
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2017-20285 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.1) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-470: Use of Externally-Controlled Input to Select Classes or Code ('Unsafe Reflection')) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product uses external input with reflection to select which classes or code to use, but it does not sufficiently prevent the input from selecting improper classes or code.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2017-20285 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2017-20285
GHSA Identifier GHSA-c454-fc94-q86x
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.1
CWE Classification CWE-470: Use of Externally-Controlled Input to Select Classes or Code ('Unsafe Reflection')
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.1

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:H/I:H/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 High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2017-20285

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-2017-20285, 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-470: Use of Externally-Controlled Input to Select Classes or Code ('Unsafe Reflection'), where the product uses external input with reflection to select which classes or code to use, but it does not sufficiently prevent the input from selecting improper classes or code. 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

YAML versions before 1.30 for Perl allow a loaded document to trigger the DESTROY method of arbitrary classes. A perl/hash:Class tag blesses a hash into the class it names. The document supplies the object's fields, and Perl calls DESTROY when it goes out of scope. What DESTROY does depends on the classes the process has loaded. With File::Temp::Dir from core Perl, it can delete a directory tree the document names.

References

NVD — CVE-2017-20285 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-20285
Software Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/ingydotnet/yaml-pm/issues/176
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ingydotnet/yaml-pm/commit/471314bbdcbd62077eea32755929122aa8bd00a3.patch
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/ingydotnet/yaml-pm/commit/7736f38bd02e4f9f77d5468721e3be3d7b34a8ec.patch
metacpan.org/release/tinita/yaml... WEB
https://metacpan.org/release/TINITA/YAML-1.30/changes
Software Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/10/05/8

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2017-20285?
CVE-2017-20285 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-470: Use of Externally-Controlled Input to Select Classes or Code ('Unsafe Reflection').
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2017-20285?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2017-20285?
CVE-2017-20285 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2017-20285?
CVE-2017-20285 is classified under CWE-470: Use of Externally-Controlled Input to Select Classes or Code ('Unsafe Reflection') (The product uses external input with reflection to select which classes or code to use, but it does not sufficiently prevent the input from selecting improper classes or code.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2017-20285?
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-c454-fc94-q86x",
  "modified" : "2026-10-06T18:31:26Z",
  "published" : "2026-10-05T09:31:51Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2017-20285" ],
  "details" : "YAML versions before 1.30 for Perl allow a loaded document to trigger the DESTROY method of arbitrary classes.\n\nA perl/hash:Class tag blesses a hash into the class it names. The document supplies the object's fields, and Perl calls DESTROY when it goes out of scope.\n\nWhat DESTROY does depends on the classes the process has loaded. With File::Temp::Dir from core Perl, it can delete a directory tree the document names.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-20285"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ingydotnet/yaml-pm/issues/176"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ingydotnet/yaml-pm/commit/471314bbdcbd62077eea32755929122aa8bd00a3.patch"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/ingydotnet/yaml-pm/commit/7736f38bd02e4f9f77d5468721e3be3d7b34a8ec.patch"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://metacpan.org/release/TINITA/YAML-1.30/changes"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2026/10/05/8"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-470" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2026-10-05T07:16:29Z"
  }
}