CVE-2018-1000854: Esigate core Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-hjm9-576q-399p
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-74
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-1000854 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')) affecting Esigate core libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves remote code execution in esigate-core. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 5.3.

CVE-2018-1000854 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-1000854
GHSA Identifier GHSA-hjm9-576q-399p
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection')
Affected Product Esigate 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:3.0/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-2018-1000854

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Esigate 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.esigate:esigate-core fixed: 5.3 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.esigate</groupId>
    <artifactId>esigate-core</artifactId>
    <version>5.3</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.esigate

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2018-1000854, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.esigate

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Esigate core in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 5.3), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.esigate 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-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component. In Esigate 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

esigate.org esigate version 5.2 and earlier contains a CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection') vulnerability in ESI directive with user specified XSLT that can result in Remote Code Execution. This attack appear to be exploitable via Use of another weakness in backend application to reflect ESI directives. This vulnerability appears to have been fixed in 5.3.

CVE-2018-1000854 Affected Esigate core Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
5.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.esigate:esigate-core
maven/org.esigate/esigate-core
Maven
< 5.3
5.3

References

NVD — CVE-2018-1000854 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-1000854
Esigate core Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/esigate/esigate/issues/209
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-hjm9-576q-399p
Esigate core Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/esigate/esigate

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-1000854?
CVE-2018-1000854 is a security vulnerability in Esigate core involving Remote Code Execution in esigate-core under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection').
Which Esigate core versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 5.3 across affected packages: org.esigate:esigate-core.
What version fixes CVE-2018-1000854?
Upgrading to 5.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is esigate-core affected?
Yes, org.esigate:esigate-core is affected in releases prior to 5.3. Upgrade your dependency to 5.3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-1000854?
CVE-2018-1000854 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-1000854?
CVE-2018-1000854 is classified under CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a command, data structure, or record using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify how it is parsed or interpreted when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2018-1000854?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.esigate'. 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-hjm9-576q-399p",
  "modified" : "2022-09-14T22:24:11Z",
  "published" : "2018-12-21T17:46:23Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-1000854" ],
  "summary" : "Remote Code Execution in esigate-core",
  "details" : "esigate.org esigate version 5.2 and earlier contains a CWE-74: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements in Output Used by a Downstream Component ('Injection') vulnerability in ESI directive with user specified XSLT that can result in Remote Code Execution. This attack appear to be exploitable via Use of another weakness in backend application to reflect ESI directives. This vulnerability appears to have been fixed in 5.3.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.esigate:esigate-core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-1000854"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/esigate/esigate/issues/209"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-hjm9-576q-399p"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/esigate/esigate"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-74" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:40:39Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}