CVE-2021-21409: Netty codec http2 Possible Request Smuggling Vulnerability
MODERATECVE-2021-21409 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.9) possible request smuggling vulnerability (CWE-444: Inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests ('HTTP Request/Response Smuggling')) affecting Netty codec http2 libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves possible request smuggling in http/2 due missing validation of content-length. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.1.61.Final.
CVE-2021-21409 at a Glance
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:H/A:N).
How to Fix CVE-2021-21409
To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Netty codec http2 dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.
<dependency>
<groupId>io.netty</groupId>
<artifactId>netty-codec-http2</artifactId>
<version>4.1.61.Final</version>
</dependency>
<dependency>
<groupId>org.jboss.netty</groupId>
<artifactId>netty</artifactId>
<version>Latest secure release</version>
</dependency>
<dependency>
<groupId>io.netty</groupId>
<artifactId>netty</artifactId>
<version>Latest secure release</version>
</dependency>
Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=io.netty
How to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2021-21409, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=io.netty
Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Netty codec http2 in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.1.61.Final), your application is affected.
Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=io.netty 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-444: Inconsistent Interpretation of HTTP Requests ('HTTP Request/Response Smuggling'), where the product acts as an intermediary http agent (such as a proxy or firewall) in the data flow between two entities such as a client and server, but it does not interpret malformed http requests or responses in ways that are consistent with how the messages will be processed by those entities that are at the ultimate destination. In Netty codec http2, 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
CVE-2021-21409 Affected Netty codec http2 Versions
3 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
io.netty:netty-codec-http2
|
Maven |
≥ 4.0.0
< 4.1.61.Final
|
4.1.61.Final
|
|
org.jboss.netty:netty
|
Maven |
|
|
|
io.netty:netty
|
Maven |
|
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2021-21409?
Which Netty codec http2 versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2021-21409?
Is netty-codec-http2 affected?
Is netty affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-21409?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-21409?
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-21409?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-f256-j965-7f32",
"modified" : "2022-02-08T21:31:25Z",
"published" : "2021-03-30T15:10:38Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-21409" ],
"summary" : "Possible request smuggling in HTTP/2 due missing validation of content-length",
"details" : "### Impact\nThe content-length header is not correctly validated if the request only use a single Http2HeaderFrame with the endStream set to to true. This could lead to request smuggling if the request is proxied to a remote peer and translated to HTTP/1.1\n\nThis is a followup of https://github.com/netty/netty/security/advisories/GHSA-wm47-8v5p-wjpj which did miss to fix this one case. \n\n### Patches\nThis was fixed as part of 4.1.61.Final\n\n### Workarounds\nValidation can be done by the user before proxy the request by validating the header.",
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"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-444" ],
"severity" : "MODERATE",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2021-03-30T15:03:26Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2021-03-30T15:15:00Z"
}
}