CVE-2018-1261: Spring Framework Spring-integration-zip Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-m9jm-rhrm-gcxj
CVSS 4.7
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-1261 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.7) spring-integration-zip vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Spring Framework libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves spring-integration-zip. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.0.1.

CVE-2018-1261 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-1261
GHSA Identifier GHSA-m9jm-rhrm-gcxj
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.7
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Spring Framework
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.7

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2018-1261

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Spring Framework 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.springframework.integration:spring-integration-zip fixed: 1.0.1
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.integration</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-integration-zip</artifactId>
    <version>1.0.1</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.springframework.integration

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2018-1261, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework.integration

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Spring Framework in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.0.1), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework.integration 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 Spring Framework, 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

Spring-integration-zip versions prior to 1.0.1 exposes an arbitrary file write vulnerability, which can be achieved using a specially crafted zip archive (affects other archives as well, bzip2, tar, xz, war, cpio, 7z) that holds path traversal filenames. So when the filename gets concatenated to the target extraction directory, the final path ends up outside of the target folder.

CVE-2018-1261 Affected Spring Framework Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.0.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.springframework.integration:spring-integration-zip
Maven
< 1.0.1
1.0.1

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-1261?
CVE-2018-1261 is a security vulnerability in Spring Framework involving spring-integration-zip under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Spring Framework versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.0.1 across affected packages: org.springframework.integration:spring-integration-zip.
What version fixes CVE-2018-1261?
Upgrading to 1.0.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is spring-integration-zip affected?
Yes, org.springframework.integration:spring-integration-zip is affected in releases prior to 1.0.1. Upgrade your dependency to 1.0.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-1261?
CVE-2018-1261 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.7 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-1261?
CVE-2018-1261 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-2018-1261?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.springframework.integration'. 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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-m9jm-rhrm-gcxj",
  "modified" : "2024-04-12T21:30:34Z",
  "published" : "2018-10-18T18:05:46Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-1261" ],
  "summary" : "Path traversal in org.springframework.integration:spring-integration-zip",
  "details" : "Spring-integration-zip versions prior to 1.0.1 exposes an arbitrary file write vulnerability, which can be achieved using a specially crafted zip archive (affects other archives as well, bzip2, tar, xz, war, cpio, 7z) that holds path traversal filenames. So when the filename gets concatenated to the target extraction directory, the final path ends up outside of the target folder.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.springframework.integration:spring-integration-zip"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.0.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-1261"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-integration-extensions/commit/a5573eb232ff85199ff9bb28993df715d9a19a25"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-m9jm-rhrm-gcxj"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-integration-extensions"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://pivotal.io/security/cve-2018-1261"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/104178"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:45:41Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-05-11T20:29:00Z"
  }
}