CVE-2020-26883: Play Uncontrolled Recursion Vulnerability
HIGHCVE-2020-26883 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) uncontrolled recursion vulnerability (CWE-674: Uncontrolled Recursion) affecting Play libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves uncontrolled recursion in play framework. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.7.6, 2.8.3.
CVE-2020-26883 at a Glance
Security Impact
CVSS: 7.5
The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).
How to Fix CVE-2020-26883
To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Play 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>com.typesafe.play</groupId>
<artifactId>play</artifactId>
<version>2.7.6</version>
</dependency><dependency>
<groupId>com.typesafe.play</groupId>
<artifactId>play</artifactId>
<version>2.8.3</version>
</dependency><dependency>
<groupId>com.typesafe.play</groupId>
<artifactId>play-java</artifactId>
<version>2.7.6</version>
</dependency><dependency>
<groupId>com.typesafe.play</groupId>
<artifactId>play-java</artifactId>
<version>2.8.3</version>
</dependency>Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.typesafe.playHow to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-26883, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.typesafe.playAnalyze the terminal output to locate any version of Play in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.7.6), your application is affected.
Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.typesafe.play 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-674: Uncontrolled Recursion, where the product does not properly control the amount of recursion that takes place, consuming excessive resources, such as allocated memory or the program stack. In Play, 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-2020-26883 Affected Play Versions
4 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
com.typesafe.play:play
|
Maven |
≥ 2.6.0
< 2.7.6
|
2.7.6
|
|
com.typesafe.play:play
|
Maven |
≥ 2.8.0
< 2.8.3
|
2.8.3
|
|
com.typesafe.play:play-java
|
Maven |
≥ 2.6.0
< 2.7.6
|
2.7.6
|
|
com.typesafe.play:play-java
|
Maven |
≥ 2.8.0
< 2.8.3
|
2.8.3
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2020-26883?
Which Play versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2020-26883?
Is play affected?
Is play-java affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-26883?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-26883?
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-26883?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-p8p6-rcp6-4mrm",
"modified" : "2021-04-22T16:54:42Z",
"published" : "2022-02-10T20:23:01Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-26883" ],
"summary" : "Uncontrolled Recursion in Play Framework",
"details" : "In Play Framework 2.6.0 through 2.8.2, stack consumption can occur because of unbounded recursion during parsing of crafted JSON documents.",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "com.typesafe.play:play"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "2.6.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "2.7.6"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "com.typesafe.play:play"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "2.8.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "2.8.3"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "com.typesafe.play:play-java"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "2.6.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "2.7.6"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "com.typesafe.play:play-java"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "2.8.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "2.8.3"
} ]
} ]
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-26883"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/playframework/playframework/pull/10495"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://www.playframework.com/security/vulnerability/CVE-2020-26883-JsonParseUncontrolledRecursion"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-674" ],
"severity" : "HIGH",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2021-04-22T16:54:42Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2020-11-06T14:15:00Z"
}
}