CVE-2021-21234: Spring Framework Path Traversal Vulnerability
HIGHCVE-2021-21234 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.7) path traversal 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 directory traversal in spring-boot-actuator-logview. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.2.13.
CVE-2021-21234 at a Glance
Security Impact
CVSS: 7.7
The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N).
How to Fix CVE-2021-21234
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.
<dependency>
<groupId>eu.hinsch</groupId>
<artifactId>spring-boot-actuator-logview</artifactId>
<version>0.2.13</version>
</dependency>Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=eu.hinschHow to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2021-21234, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=eu.hinschAnalyze 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 0.2.13), your application is affected.
Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=eu.hinsch 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
CVE-2021-21234 Affected Spring Framework Versions
1 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
eu.hinsch:spring-boot-actuator-logview
|
Maven |
< 0.2.13
|
0.2.13
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2021-21234?
Which Spring Framework versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2021-21234?
Is spring-boot-actuator-logview affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-21234?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-21234?
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-21234?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-p4q6-qxjx-8jgp",
"modified" : "2021-01-07T22:28:53Z",
"published" : "2021-01-05T17:29:40Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-21234" ],
"summary" : "Directory Traversal in spring-boot-actuator-logview",
"details" : "### Impact\nThe nature of this library is to expose a log file directory via admin (spring boot actuator) HTTP endpoints. Both the filename to view and a base folder (relative to the logging folder root) can be specified via request parameters. While the filename parameter was checked to prevent directory traversal exploits (so that `filename=../somefile` would not work), the base folder parameter was not sufficiently checked, so that `filename=somefile&base=../` could access a file outside the logging base directory).\n\n### Patches\nThe vulnerability has been patched in release 0.2.13. Any users of 0.2.12 should be able to update without any issues as there are no other changes in that release.\n\n### Workarounds\nThere is no workaround to fix the vulnerability other than updating or removing the dependency. However, removing read access of the user the application is run with to any directory not required for running the application can limit the impact. Additionally, access to the logview endpoint can be limited by deploying the application behind a reverse proxy.\n\n### For more information\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory:\n* Open an issue in the [github repo](https://github.com/lukashinsch/spring-boot-actuator-logview)",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:N/A:N"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "eu.hinsch:spring-boot-actuator-logview"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "0.2.13"
} ]
} ]
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/lukashinsch/spring-boot-actuator-logview/security/advisories/GHSA-p4q6-qxjx-8jgp"
}, {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-21234"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/lukashinsch/spring-boot-actuator-logview/commit/1c76e1ec3588c9f39e1a94bf27b5ff56eb8b17d6"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/lukashinsch/spring-boot-actuator-logview/commit/760acbb939a8d1f7d1a7dfcd51ca848eea04e772"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://search.maven.org/artifact/eu.hinsch/spring-boot-actuator-logview"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
"severity" : "HIGH",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2021-01-05T17:28:54Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2021-01-05T18:15:00Z"
}
}