CVE-2020-14340: Xnio nio Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-c738-77x8-wmq5
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CVSS 5.9
CWE-400
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-14340 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.9) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting Xnio nio libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves uncontrolled resource consumption in xnio. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.8.2.Final, 3.7.9.Final.

CVE-2020-14340 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-14340
GHSA Identifier GHSA-c738-77x8-wmq5
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.9
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product Xnio nio
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.9

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2020-14340

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Xnio nio 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.jboss.xnio:xnio-nio fixed: 3.8.2.Final 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.jboss.xnio</groupId>
    <artifactId>xnio-nio</artifactId>
    <version>3.8.2.Final</version>
</dependency>
org.jboss.xnio:xnio-nio fixed: 3.7.9.Final 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.jboss.xnio</groupId>
    <artifactId>xnio-nio</artifactId>
    <version>3.7.9.Final</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.jboss.xnio

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-14340, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.jboss.xnio

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Xnio nio in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.8.2.Final), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.jboss.xnio 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-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, where the product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource. In Xnio nio, 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 was discovered in XNIO where file descriptor leak caused by growing amounts of NIO Selector file handles between garbage collection cycles. It may allow the attacker to cause a denial of service. It affects XNIO versions 3.6.0.Beta1 through 3.8.1.Final.

CVE-2020-14340 Affected Xnio nio Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.8.2.Final3.7.9.Final
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.jboss.xnio:xnio-nio
maven/org.jboss.xnio/xnio-nio
Maven
≥ 3.8.0.Final
< 3.8.2.Final
3.8.2.Final
org.jboss.xnio:xnio-nio
maven/org.jboss.xnio/xnio-nio
Maven
≥ 3.6.0
< 3.7.9.Final
3.7.9.Final

References

NVD — CVE-2020-14340 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-14340
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1860218
Xnio nio Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.html
Xnio nio Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2022.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-14340?
CVE-2020-14340 is a security vulnerability in Xnio nio involving Uncontrolled Resource Consumption in XNIO under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which Xnio nio versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.8.2.Final, 3.7.9.Final across affected packages: org.jboss.xnio:xnio-nio.
What version fixes CVE-2020-14340?
Upgrading to 3.8.2.Final, 3.7.9.Final (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is xnio-nio affected?
Yes, org.jboss.xnio:xnio-nio is affected in releases prior to 3.8.2.Final, 3.7.9.Final. Upgrade your dependency to 3.8.2.Final, 3.7.9.Final or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-14340?
CVE-2020-14340 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.9 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-14340?
CVE-2020-14340 is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-14340?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.jboss.xnio'. 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-c738-77x8-wmq5",
  "modified" : "2022-02-08T21:27:27Z",
  "published" : "2021-06-08T22:29:29Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-14340" ],
  "summary" : "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption in XNIO",
  "details" : "A vulnerability was discovered in XNIO where file descriptor leak caused by growing amounts of NIO Selector file handles between garbage collection cycles. It may allow the attacker to cause a denial of service. It affects XNIO versions 3.6.0.Beta1 through 3.8.1.Final.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.jboss.xnio:xnio-nio"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.8.0.Final"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.8.2.Final"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 3.8.1.Final"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.jboss.xnio:xnio-nio"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.6.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.7.9.Final"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 3.7.8.Final"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-14340"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1860218"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2022.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-400" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-06-03T20:32:00Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-06-02T13:15:00Z"
  }
}