CVE-2020-35460: Mpxj Path Traversal Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-p9j6-4pjr-gp48
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CVSS 5.3
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-35460 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.3) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Mpxj libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves mpxj path traversal vulnerability. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 8.3.5.

CVE-2020-35460 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-35460
GHSA Identifier GHSA-p9j6-4pjr-gp48
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.3
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Mpxj
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.3

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:L/A:N).

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 None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2020-35460

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

net.sf.mpxj:mpxj fixed: 8.3.5 
<dependency>
    <groupId>net.sf.mpxj</groupId>
    <artifactId>mpxj</artifactId>
    <version>8.3.5</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=net.sf.mpxj

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-35460, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=net.sf.mpxj

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Mpxj in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 8.3.5), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=net.sf.mpxj 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 Mpxj, 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

common/InputStreamHelper.java in Packwood MPXJ before 8.3.5 allows directory traversal in the zip stream handler flow, leading to the writing of files to arbitrary locations.

CVE-2020-35460 Affected Mpxj Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
8.3.5
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
net.sf.mpxj:mpxj
maven/net.sf.mpxj/mpxj
Maven
< 8.3.5
8.3.5

References

NVD — CVE-2020-35460 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-35460
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/joniles/mpxj/commit/8eaf4225048ea5ba7e59ef4556dab2098fcc4a1d
Mpxj Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2021.html
Mpxj Security Information SECURITY
http://www.mpxj.org/changes-report.html#a8.3.5

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-35460?
CVE-2020-35460 is a security vulnerability in Mpxj involving MPXJ path Traversal vulnerability under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Mpxj versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 8.3.5 across affected packages: net.sf.mpxj:mpxj.
What version fixes CVE-2020-35460?
Upgrading to 8.3.5 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is mpxj affected?
Yes, net.sf.mpxj:mpxj is affected in releases prior to 8.3.5. Upgrade your dependency to 8.3.5 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-35460?
CVE-2020-35460 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-35460?
CVE-2020-35460 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-2020-35460?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=net.sf.mpxj'. 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-p9j6-4pjr-gp48",
  "modified" : "2022-08-11T16:59:22Z",
  "published" : "2020-12-18T18:28:23Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-35460" ],
  "summary" : "MPXJ path Traversal vulnerability",
  "details" : "common/InputStreamHelper.java in Packwood MPXJ before 8.3.5 allows directory traversal in the zip stream handler flow, leading to the writing of files to arbitrary locations.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "net.sf.mpxj:mpxj"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "8.3.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-35460"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/joniles/mpxj/commit/8eaf4225048ea5ba7e59ef4556dab2098fcc4a1d"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2021.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.mpxj.org/changes-report.html#a8.3.5"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-12-17T23:15:51Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-12-14T23:15:00Z"
  }
}