CVE-2018-12036: Dependency check maven Path Traversal Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-hcwx-7q5v-vc67
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CVSS 7.8
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-12036 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.8) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Dependency check maven libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves path traversal in owasp dependency-check. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.2.0.

CVE-2018-12036 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-12036
GHSA Identifier GHSA-hcwx-7q5v-vc67
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.8
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Dependency check maven
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

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

How to Fix CVE-2018-12036

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Dependency check maven 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.owasp:dependency-check-maven fixed: 3.2.0 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.owasp</groupId>
    <artifactId>dependency-check-maven</artifactId>
    <version>3.2.0</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.owasp

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2018-12036, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.owasp

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Dependency check maven in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.2.0), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.owasp 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 Dependency check maven, 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

OWASP Dependency-Check before 3.2.0 allows attackers to write to arbitrary files via a crafted archive that holds directory traversal filenames.

CVE-2018-12036 Affected Dependency check maven Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.2.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.owasp:dependency-check-maven
maven/org.owasp/dependency-check-maven
Maven
< 3.2.0
3.2.0

References

NVD — CVE-2018-12036 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-12036
Dependency check maven Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/jeremylong/DependencyCheck
Dependency check maven Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/jeremylong/DependencyCheck/blob/master/RELEASE_NOTES.md#version-320-2018-05-21
Dependency check maven Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/snyk/zip-slip-vulnerability

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-12036?
CVE-2018-12036 is a security vulnerability in Dependency check maven involving Path Traversal in OWASP Dependency-Check under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Dependency check maven versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.2.0 across affected packages: org.owasp:dependency-check-maven.
What version fixes CVE-2018-12036?
Upgrading to 3.2.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is dependency-check-maven affected?
Yes, org.owasp:dependency-check-maven is affected in releases prior to 3.2.0. Upgrade your dependency to 3.2.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-12036?
CVE-2018-12036 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-12036?
CVE-2018-12036 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-2018-12036?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.owasp'. 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-hcwx-7q5v-vc67",
  "modified" : "2022-11-01T22:37:41Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-14T03:12:09Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-12036" ],
  "summary" : "Path Traversal in OWASP Dependency-Check",
  "details" : "OWASP Dependency-Check before 3.2.0 allows attackers to write to arbitrary files via a crafted archive that holds directory traversal filenames.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.owasp:dependency-check-maven"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.2.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-12036"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/jeremylong/DependencyCheck"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/jeremylong/DependencyCheck/blob/master/RELEASE_NOTES.md#version-320-2018-05-21"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/snyk/zip-slip-vulnerability"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-11-01T22:37:41Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-06-07T18:29:00Z"
  }
}