CVE-2021-28163: Jetty deploy Directory Exposure Vulnerability

LOW
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-j6qj-j888-vvgq
Share
CVSS 2.7
CWE-59 CWE-200
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-28163 is a LOW (CVSS 2.7) directory exposure vulnerability (CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')) affecting Jetty deploy libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves directory exposure in jetty. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 9.4.39, 10.0.2, 11.0.2.

CVE-2021-28163 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-28163
GHSA Identifier GHSA-j6qj-j888-vvgq
Severity LOW
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 2.7
CWE Classification CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')
Affected Product Jetty deploy
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 2.7

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2021-28163

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Jetty deploy 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.eclipse.jetty:jetty-deploy fixed: 9.4.39 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.eclipse.jetty</groupId>
    <artifactId>jetty-deploy</artifactId>
    <version>9.4.39</version>
</dependency>
org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-deploy fixed: 10.0.2 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.eclipse.jetty</groupId>
    <artifactId>jetty-deploy</artifactId>
    <version>10.0.2</version>
</dependency>
org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-deploy fixed: 11.0.2 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.eclipse.jetty</groupId>
    <artifactId>jetty-deploy</artifactId>
    <version>11.0.2</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.eclipse.jetty

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2021-28163, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.eclipse.jetty

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Jetty deploy in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 9.4.39), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.eclipse.jetty 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-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following'), where the product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource. In Jetty deploy, 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

### Impact If the `${jetty.base}` directory or the `${jetty.base}/webapps` directory is a symlink (soft link in Linux), the contents of the `${jetty.base}/webapps` directory may be deployed as a static web application, exposing the content of the directory for download. For example, the problem manifests in the following `${jetty.base}`: ```$ tree demo-base/ demo-base/ ├── etc ├── lib ├── resources ├── start.d ├── deploy │   └── async-rest.war └── webapps -> deploy ``` ### Workarounds Do not use a symlink

CVE-2021-28163 Affected Jetty deploy Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
9.4.3910.0.211.0.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-deploy
maven/org.eclipse.jetty/jetty-deploy
Maven
≥ 9.4.32
< 9.4.39
9.4.39
org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-deploy
maven/org.eclipse.jetty/jetty-deploy
Maven
≥ 10.0.0
< 10.0.2
10.0.2
org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-deploy
maven/org.eclipse.jetty/jetty-deploy
Maven
≥ 11.0.0
< 11.0.2
11.0.2

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/eclipse/jetty.project/security/advisories/GHSA-j6qj-j888-vvgq
NVD — CVE-2021-28163 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-28163
Jetty deploy Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.html
Jetty deploy Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2022.html
Jetty deploy Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.html
Jetty deploy Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210611-0006
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Jetty deploy Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/eclipse/jetty.project

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-28163?
CVE-2021-28163 is a security vulnerability in Jetty deploy involving Directory exposure in jetty under CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following').
Which Jetty deploy versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 9.4.39, 10.0.2, 11.0.2 across affected packages: org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-deploy.
What version fixes CVE-2021-28163?
Upgrading to 9.4.39, 10.0.2, 11.0.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is jetty-deploy affected?
Yes, org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-deploy is affected in releases prior to 9.4.39, 10.0.2, 11.0.2. Upgrade your dependency to 9.4.39, 10.0.2, 11.0.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-28163?
CVE-2021-28163 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 2.7 (LOW) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-28163?
CVE-2021-28163 is classified under CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') (The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-28163?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.eclipse.jetty'. 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-j6qj-j888-vvgq",
  "modified" : "2022-04-22T15:49:55Z",
  "published" : "2021-04-06T17:32:00Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-28163" ],
  "summary" : "Directory exposure in jetty",
  "details" : "### Impact\nIf the `${jetty.base}` directory or the `${jetty.base}/webapps` directory is a symlink (soft link in Linux), the contents of the `${jetty.base}/webapps` directory may be deployed as a static web application, exposing the content of the directory for download. \n\nFor example, the problem manifests in the following `${jetty.base}`:\n```$ tree demo-base/\ndemo-base/\n├── etc\n├── lib\n├── resources\n├── start.d\n├── deploy\n│   └── async-rest.war\n└── webapps -> deploy\n\n``` \n\n### Workarounds\nDo not use a symlink",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-deploy"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
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  }, {
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  }, {
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  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-200", "CWE-59" ],
    "severity" : "LOW",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-04-02T23:13:08Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-04-01T15:15:00Z"
  }
}