CVE-2021-23792: Imageio metadata External Entity Reference Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-pjch-4g28-fxx7
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-611
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-23792 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) external entity reference vulnerability (CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference) affecting Imageio metadata libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves external entity reference in twelvemonkeys imageio. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.7.1.

CVE-2021-23792 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-23792
GHSA Identifier GHSA-pjch-4g28-fxx7
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference
Affected Product Imageio metadata
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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:H/I:H/A:H).

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 High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2021-23792

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

com.twelvemonkeys.imageio:imageio-metadata fixed: 3.7.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.twelvemonkeys.imageio</groupId>
    <artifactId>imageio-metadata</artifactId>
    <version>3.7.1</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=com.twelvemonkeys.imageio

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2021-23792, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.twelvemonkeys.imageio

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Imageio metadata in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.7.1), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.twelvemonkeys.imageio 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-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference, where the product processes an xml document that can contain xml entities with uris that resolve to documents outside of the intended sphere of control, causing the product to embed incorrect documents into its output. In Imageio metadata, 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

The package com.twelvemonkeys.imageio:imageio-metadata before version 3.7.1 is vulnerable to XML External Entity (XXE) Injection due to an insecurely initialized XML parser for reading XMP Metadata. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability if they are able to supply a file (e.g. when an online profile picture is processed) with a malicious XMP segment. If the XMP metadata of the uploaded image is parsed, then the XXE vulnerability is triggered.

CVE-2021-23792 Affected Imageio metadata Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.7.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
com.twelvemonkeys.imageio:imageio-metadata
maven/com.twelvemonkeys.imageio/imageio-metadata
Maven
< 3.7.1
3.7.1

References

NVD — CVE-2021-23792 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-23792
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/haraldk/TwelveMonkeys/commit/da4efe98bf09e1cce91b7633cb251958a200fc80
Imageio metadata Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/haraldk/TwelveMonkeys
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-java-comt... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-COMTWELVEMONKEYSIMAGEIO-2316763

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-23792?
CVE-2021-23792 is a security vulnerability in Imageio metadata involving External Entity Reference in TwelveMonkeys ImageIO under CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference.
Which Imageio metadata versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.7.1 across affected packages: com.twelvemonkeys.imageio:imageio-metadata.
What version fixes CVE-2021-23792?
Upgrading to 3.7.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is imageio-metadata affected?
Yes, com.twelvemonkeys.imageio:imageio-metadata is affected in releases prior to 3.7.1. Upgrade your dependency to 3.7.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-23792?
CVE-2021-23792 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-23792?
CVE-2021-23792 is classified under CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (The product processes an XML document that can contain XML entities with URIs that resolve to documents outside of the intended sphere of control, causing the product to embed incorrect documents into its output.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-23792?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.twelvemonkeys.imageio'. 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-pjch-4g28-fxx7",
  "modified" : "2022-05-24T20:58:43Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-07T00:00:31Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-23792" ],
  "summary" : "External Entity Reference in TwelveMonkeys ImageIO",
  "details" : "The package com.twelvemonkeys.imageio:imageio-metadata before version 3.7.1 is vulnerable to XML External Entity (XXE) Injection due to an insecurely initialized XML parser for reading XMP Metadata. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability if they are able to supply a file (e.g. when an online profile picture is processed) with a malicious XMP segment. If the XMP metadata of the uploaded image is parsed, then the XXE vulnerability is triggered.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.twelvemonkeys.imageio:imageio-metadata"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.7.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-23792"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/haraldk/TwelveMonkeys/commit/da4efe98bf09e1cce91b7633cb251958a200fc80"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/haraldk/TwelveMonkeys"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-COMTWELVEMONKEYSIMAGEIO-2316763"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-611" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-05-24T20:58:43Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-05-06T20:15:00Z"
  }
}