CVE-2020-25638: Hibernate core SQL Injection Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-j8jw-g6fq-mp7h
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CVSS 7.4
CWE-89
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-25638 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.4) sql injection vulnerability (CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')) affecting Hibernate core libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves sql injection in hibernate-core. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 5.4.24.Final, 5.3.20.Final.

CVE-2020-25638 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-25638
GHSA Identifier GHSA-j8jw-g6fq-mp7h
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.4
CWE Classification CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection')
Affected Product Hibernate core
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.4

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2020-25638

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Hibernate 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.hibernate:hibernate-core fixed: 5.4.24.Final 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.hibernate</groupId>
    <artifactId>hibernate-core</artifactId>
    <version>5.4.24.Final</version>
</dependency>
org.hibernate:hibernate-core fixed: 5.3.20.Final 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.hibernate</groupId>
    <artifactId>hibernate-core</artifactId>
    <version>5.3.20.Final</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.hibernate

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-25638, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.hibernate

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Hibernate core in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 5.4.24.Final), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.hibernate 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-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of an sql command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended sql command when it is sent to a downstream component. without sufficient removal or quoting of sql syntax in user-controllable inputs, the generated sql query can cause those inputs to be interpreted as sql instead of ordinary user data. In Hibernate 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

A flaw was found in hibernate-core in versions prior to 5.3.20.Final and in 5.4.0.Final up to and including 5.4.23.Final. A SQL injection in the implementation of the JPA Criteria API can permit unsanitized literals when a literal is used in the SQL comments of the query. This flaw could allow an attacker to access unauthorized information or possibly conduct further attacks. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to data confidentiality and integrity.

CVE-2020-25638 Affected Hibernate core Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
5.4.24.Final5.3.20.Final
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.hibernate:hibernate-core
maven/org.hibernate/hibernate-core
Maven
≥ 5.4.0.Final
< 5.4.24.Final
5.4.24.Final
org.hibernate:hibernate-core
maven/org.hibernate/hibernate-core
Maven
< 5.3.20.Final
5.3.20.Final

References

NVD — CVE-2020-25638 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-25638
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/hibernate/hibernate-orm/commit/36ebf7d3836e83e99f2a91777b5389e1daf1f2b7
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/hibernate/hibernate-orm/commit/59fede7acaaa1579b561407aefa582311f7ebe78
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/hibernate/hibernate-orm/commit/d22bbb5c339c9df7712c3365bb1df97c91b35ec5
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1881353
Hibernate core Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/hibernate/hibernate-orm
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r833c12... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r833c1276e41334fa675848a08daf0c61f39009f9f9a400d9f7006d44@%3Cdev.turbine.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf23782... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf2378209c676a28b71f9b604a3b3517c448540b85367160e558ef9df@%3Ccommits.turbine.apache.org%3E
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/01/msg00000.html
Hibernate core Security Information SECURITY
https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4908
Hibernate core Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html
Hibernate core Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.html
Hibernate core Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2022.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-25638?
CVE-2020-25638 is a security vulnerability in Hibernate core involving SQL injection in hibernate-core under CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection').
Which Hibernate core versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 5.4.24.Final, 5.3.20.Final across affected packages: org.hibernate:hibernate-core.
What version fixes CVE-2020-25638?
Upgrading to 5.4.24.Final, 5.3.20.Final (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is hibernate-core affected?
Yes, org.hibernate:hibernate-core is affected in releases prior to 5.4.24.Final, 5.3.20.Final. Upgrade your dependency to 5.4.24.Final, 5.3.20.Final or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-25638?
CVE-2020-25638 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.4 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-25638?
CVE-2020-25638 is classified under CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command ('SQL Injection') (The product constructs all or part of an SQL command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended SQL command when it is sent to a downstream component. Without sufficient removal or quoting of SQL syntax in user-controllable inputs, the generated SQL query can cause those inputs to be interpreted as SQL instead of ordinary user data.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-25638?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.hibernate'. 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-j8jw-g6fq-mp7h",
  "modified" : "2024-06-27T16:39:57Z",
  "published" : "2022-02-09T22:57:29Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-25638" ],
  "summary" : "SQL injection in hibernate-core",
  "details" : "A flaw was found in hibernate-core in versions prior to 5.3.20.Final and in 5.4.0.Final up to and including 5.4.23.Final. A SQL injection in the implementation of the JPA Criteria API can permit unsanitized literals when a literal is used in the SQL comments of the query. This flaw could allow an attacker to access unauthorized information or possibly conduct further attacks. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to data confidentiality and integrity.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
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    },
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      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
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      }, {
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      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
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    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.3.20.Final"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-25638"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/hibernate/hibernate-orm/commit/36ebf7d3836e83e99f2a91777b5389e1daf1f2b7"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/hibernate/hibernate-orm/commit/59fede7acaaa1579b561407aefa582311f7ebe78"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/hibernate/hibernate-orm/commit/d22bbb5c339c9df7712c3365bb1df97c91b35ec5"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1881353"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/hibernate/hibernate-orm"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r833c1276e41334fa675848a08daf0c61f39009f9f9a400d9f7006d44@%3Cdev.turbine.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf2378209c676a28b71f9b604a3b3517c448540b85367160e558ef9df@%3Ccommits.turbine.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/01/msg00000.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.debian.org/security/2021/dsa-4908"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2022.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-89" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-04-09T22:49:21Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-12-02T15:15:00Z"
  }
}