CVE-2019-10071: Tapestry core Timing Attack On HMAC Signature Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-fgmr-vx7c-5wj6
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-203 CWE-697
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-10071 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) timing attack on hmac signature vulnerability (CWE-203: Observable Discrepancy) affecting Tapestry core libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves timing attack on hmac signature comparison in apache tapestry. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 5.4.5.

CVE-2019-10071 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-10071
GHSA Identifier GHSA-fgmr-vx7c-5wj6
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-203: Observable Discrepancy
Affected Product Tapestry core
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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:H).

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 High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2019-10071

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Tapestry core 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.tapestry:tapestry-core fixed: 5.4.5 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.tapestry</groupId>
    <artifactId>tapestry-core</artifactId>
    <version>5.4.5</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.tapestry

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2019-10071, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.tapestry

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Tapestry core in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 5.4.5), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.tapestry 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-203: Observable Discrepancy, where the product behaves differently or sends different responses under different circumstances in a way that is observable to an unauthorized actor. In Tapestry core, 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

The code which checks HMAC in form submissions used String.equals() for comparisons, which results in a timing side channel for the comparison of the HMAC signatures. This could lead to remote code execution if an attacker is able to determine the correct signature for their payload. The comparison should be done with a constant time algorithm instead.

CVE-2019-10071 Affected Tapestry core Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
5.4.5
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.tapestry:tapestry-core
maven/org.apache.tapestry/tapestry-core
Maven
≥ 5.4
< 5.4.5
5.4.5

References

NVD — CVE-2019-10071 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-10071
lists.apache.org/thread.html/6e8f42c... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/6e8f42c88da7be3c60aafe3f6a85eb00b4f8b444de26b38d36233a43@%3Cusers.tapestry.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/7a437da... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/7a437dad5af7309aba4d01bfc2463b3ac34e6aafaa565381d3a36460@%3Cusers.tapestry.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/bac8d6f... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/bac8d6f9e1b4059b319d9cba6f33219a99b81623476ec896138f851c@%3Cusers.tapestry.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r7d9c54... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r7d9c54beb1dc97dcccc58d9b5d31f0f7166f9a25ad1beba5f8091e0c@%3Ccommits.tapestry.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r87523d... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r87523dd07886223aa086edc25fe9b8ddb9c1090f7db25b068dc30843@%3Ccommits.tapestry.apache.org%3E

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-10071?
CVE-2019-10071 is a security vulnerability in Tapestry core involving Timing attack on HMAC signature comparison in Apache Tapestry under CWE-203: Observable Discrepancy.
Which Tapestry core versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 5.4.5 across affected packages: org.apache.tapestry:tapestry-core.
What version fixes CVE-2019-10071?
Upgrading to 5.4.5 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is tapestry-core affected?
Yes, org.apache.tapestry:tapestry-core is affected in releases prior to 5.4.5. Upgrade your dependency to 5.4.5 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-10071?
CVE-2019-10071 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-10071?
CVE-2019-10071 is classified under CWE-203: Observable Discrepancy (The product behaves differently or sends different responses under different circumstances in a way that is observable to an unauthorized actor.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2019-10071?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.tapestry'. 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-fgmr-vx7c-5wj6",
  "modified" : "2021-07-27T21:51:14Z",
  "published" : "2019-09-26T21:30:34Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-10071" ],
  "summary" : "Timing attack on HMAC signature comparison in Apache Tapestry",
  "details" : "The code which checks HMAC in form submissions used String.equals() for comparisons, which results in a timing side channel for the comparison of the HMAC signatures. This could lead to remote code execution if an attacker is able to determine the correct signature for their payload. The comparison should be done with a constant time algorithm instead.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.tapestry:tapestry-core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.4"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.4.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-10071"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/6e8f42c88da7be3c60aafe3f6a85eb00b4f8b444de26b38d36233a43@%3Cusers.tapestry.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/7a437dad5af7309aba4d01bfc2463b3ac34e6aafaa565381d3a36460@%3Cusers.tapestry.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/bac8d6f9e1b4059b319d9cba6f33219a99b81623476ec896138f851c@%3Cusers.tapestry.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r7d9c54beb1dc97dcccc58d9b5d31f0f7166f9a25ad1beba5f8091e0c@%3Ccommits.tapestry.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r87523dd07886223aa086edc25fe9b8ddb9c1090f7db25b068dc30843@%3Ccommits.tapestry.apache.org%3E"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-203", "CWE-697" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2019-09-23T22:30:40Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2019-09-16T18:15:00Z"
  }
}