CVE-2022-4244: Plexus utils Path Traversal Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-g6ph-x5wf-g337
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-4244 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Plexus utils libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves plexus-codehaus vulnerable to directory traversal. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.0.24.

CVE-2022-4244 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-4244
GHSA Identifier GHSA-g6ph-x5wf-g337
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Plexus utils
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

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

How to Fix CVE-2022-4244

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Plexus utils 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.codehaus.plexus:plexus-utils fixed: 3.0.24 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.codehaus.plexus</groupId>
    <artifactId>plexus-utils</artifactId>
    <version>3.0.24</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.codehaus.plexus

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2022-4244, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.codehaus.plexus

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Plexus utils in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.0.24), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.codehaus.plexus 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-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. In Plexus utils, 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 flaw was found in plexus-codehaus. A directory traversal attack (also known as path traversal) aims to access files and directories stored outside the intended folder. By manipulating files with dot-dot-slash (`../`) sequences and their variations or by using absolute file paths, it may be possible to access arbitrary files and directories stored on the file system, including application source code, configuration, and other critical system files.

CVE-2022-4244 Affected Plexus utils Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.0.24
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.codehaus.plexus:plexus-utils
maven/org.codehaus.plexus/plexus-utils
Maven
< 3.0.24
3.0.24

References

NVD — CVE-2022-4244 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-4244
Plexus utils Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/codehaus-plexus/plexus-utils/issues/4
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/codehaus-plexus/plexus-utils/commit/33a2853df8185b4519b1b8bfae284f03392618ef
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2023:21... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2023:2135
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2023:39... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2023:3906
Plexus utils Security Information SECURITY
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2022-4244
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2149841
Plexus utils Security Information SECURITY
https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGCODEHAUSPLEXUS-31521

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-4244?
CVE-2022-4244 is a security vulnerability in Plexus utils involving plexus-codehaus vulnerable to directory traversal under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Plexus utils versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.0.24 across affected packages: org.codehaus.plexus:plexus-utils.
What version fixes CVE-2022-4244?
Upgrading to 3.0.24 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is plexus-utils affected?
Yes, org.codehaus.plexus:plexus-utils is affected in releases prior to 3.0.24. Upgrade your dependency to 3.0.24 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-4244?
CVE-2022-4244 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-4244?
CVE-2022-4244 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2022-4244?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.codehaus.plexus'. 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-g6ph-x5wf-g337",
  "modified" : "2024-05-03T20:27:06Z",
  "published" : "2023-09-25T21:30:26Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-4244" ],
  "summary" : "plexus-codehaus vulnerable to directory traversal",
  "details" : "A flaw was found in plexus-codehaus. A directory traversal attack (also known as path traversal) aims to access files and directories stored outside the intended folder. By manipulating files with dot-dot-slash (`../`) sequences and their variations or by using absolute file paths, it may be possible to access arbitrary files and directories stored on the file system, including application source code, configuration, and other critical system files. ",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.codehaus.plexus:plexus-utils"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.0.24"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-4244"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/codehaus-plexus/plexus-utils/issues/4"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/codehaus-plexus/plexus-utils/commit/33a2853df8185b4519b1b8bfae284f03392618ef"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2023:2135"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2023:3906"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2022-4244"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2149841"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGCODEHAUSPLEXUS-31521"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-09-26T17:59:40Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-09-25T20:15:10Z"
  }
}