CVE-2024-6863: H2o H2O Vulnerable To Execution Of Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-m37h-8r48-2cxj
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CVSS 6.5
CWE-749
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2024-6863 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) h2o vulnerable to execution of vulnerability (CWE-749: Exposed Dangerous Method or Function) affecting H2o libraries in the PyPI ecosystem. The issue involves h2o vulnerable to execution of arbitrary files. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2024-6863 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2024-6863
GHSA Identifier GHSA-m37h-8r48-2cxj
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-749: Exposed Dangerous Method or Function
Affected Product H2o
Package Ecosystem PyPI
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.5

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:N/I:L/A:L).

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 None (C:N)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability Low (A:L)

How to Fix CVE-2024-6863

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected H2o dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

h2o fixed: Latest secure release 
pip install h2o>=Latest secure release
ai.h2o:h2o-core fixed: Latest secure release 
<dependency>
    <groupId>ai.h2o</groupId>
    <artifactId>h2o-core</artifactId>
    <version>Latest secure release</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: 

pip show h2o

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Python environment is affected by CVE-2024-6863, inspect your installed packages using pip:

pip show h2o

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of H2o in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The pip show h2o command checks currently installed packages in your active Python environment.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-749: Exposed Dangerous Method or Function, where the product provides an applications programming interface (api) or similar interface for interaction with external actors, but the interface includes a dangerous method or function that is not properly restricted. In H2o, 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

In h2oai/h2o-3 version 3.46.0, an endpoint exposing a custom EncryptionTool allows an attacker to encrypt any files on the target server with a key of their choosing. The chosen key can also be overwritten, resulting in ransomware-like behavior. This vulnerability makes it possible for an attacker to encrypt arbitrary files with keys of their choice, making it exceedingly difficult for the target to recover the keys needed for decryption.

CVE-2024-6863 Affected H2o Versions

2 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
h2o
pypi/h2o
PyPI
≥ 3.32.1.2
≤ 3.46.0
ai.h2o:h2o-core
maven/ai.h2o/h2o-core
Maven
≥ 3.32.1.2
≤ 3.46.0

References

NVD — CVE-2024-6863 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-6863
H2o Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/h2oai/h2o-3
H2o Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/h2oai/h2o-3/blob/a20b5b19b769866ee24b217ee78b820e64c1cd6a/h2o-core/src/main/java/water/tools/EncryptionTool.java#L49
huntr.com/bounties/10f55937-0... WEB
https://huntr.com/bounties/10f55937-0cba-4530-897f-2abf30ed5270

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-6863?
CVE-2024-6863 is a security vulnerability in H2o involving H2O Vulnerable to Execution of Arbitrary Files under CWE-749: Exposed Dangerous Method or Function.
Which H2o versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: h2o, ai.h2o:h2o-core.
What version fixes CVE-2024-6863?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is h2o affected?
Yes, h2o is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
Is h2o-core affected?
Yes, ai.h2o:h2o-core is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2024-6863?
CVE-2024-6863 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2024-6863?
CVE-2024-6863 is classified under CWE-749: Exposed Dangerous Method or Function (The product provides an Applications Programming Interface (API) or similar interface for interaction with external actors, but the interface includes a dangerous method or function that is not properly restricted.).
How can I check PyPI dependencies for CVE-2024-6863?
Run the dependency tree command: 'pip show h2o'. 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-m37h-8r48-2cxj",
  "modified" : "2025-03-20T19:46:49Z",
  "published" : "2025-03-20T12:32:45Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2024-6863" ],
  "summary" : "H2O Vulnerable to Execution of Arbitrary Files",
  "details" : "In h2oai/h2o-3 version 3.46.0, an endpoint exposing a custom EncryptionTool allows an attacker to encrypt any files on the target server with a key of their choosing. The chosen key can also be overwritten, resulting in ransomware-like behavior. This vulnerability makes it possible for an attacker to encrypt arbitrary files with keys of their choice, making it exceedingly difficult for the target to recover the keys needed for decryption.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "PyPI",
      "name" : "h2o"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.32.1.2"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "3.46.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "ai.h2o:h2o-core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.32.1.2"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "3.46.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-6863"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/h2oai/h2o-3"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/h2oai/h2o-3/blob/a20b5b19b769866ee24b217ee78b820e64c1cd6a/h2o-core/src/main/java/water/tools/EncryptionTool.java#L49"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://huntr.com/bounties/10f55937-0cba-4530-897f-2abf30ed5270"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-749" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2025-03-20T19:46:49Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2025-03-20T10:15:34Z"
  }
}