CVE-2019-12728: Grails core Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-pmxf-4v8c-rwr7
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CVSS 8.1
CWE-669 CWE-494
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-12728 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.1) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-669: Incorrect Resource Transfer Between Spheres) affecting Grails core libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves incorrect resource transfer between spheres in grails. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.3.10.

CVE-2019-12728 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-12728
GHSA Identifier GHSA-pmxf-4v8c-rwr7
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification CWE-669: Incorrect Resource Transfer Between Spheres
Affected Product Grails core
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.1

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
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-2019-12728

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Grails core 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.grails:grails-core fixed: 3.3.10 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.grails</groupId>
    <artifactId>grails-core</artifactId>
    <version>3.3.10</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.grails

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2019-12728, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.grails

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Grails core in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.3.10), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.grails 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-669: Incorrect Resource Transfer Between Spheres, where the product does not properly transfer a resource/behavior to another sphere, or improperly imports a resource/behavior from another sphere, in a manner that provides unintended control over that resource. In Grails core, 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

Grails before 3.3.10 used cleartext HTTP to resolve the SDKMan notification service. NOTE: users' apps were not resolving dependencies over cleartext HTTP.

CVE-2019-12728 Affected Grails core Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.3.10
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.grails:grails-core
maven/org.grails/grails-core
Maven
< 3.3.10
3.3.10

References

NVD — CVE-2019-12728 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-12728
Grails core Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/grails/grails-core/issues/11250
objectcomputing.com/news/2019/05/30/pos... WEB
https://objectcomputing.com/news/2019/05/30/possible-grails-mitm-vulnerability

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-12728?
CVE-2019-12728 is a security vulnerability in Grails core involving Incorrect Resource Transfer Between Spheres in Grails under CWE-669: Incorrect Resource Transfer Between Spheres.
Which Grails core versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.3.10 across affected packages: org.grails:grails-core.
What version fixes CVE-2019-12728?
Upgrading to 3.3.10 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is grails-core affected?
Yes, org.grails:grails-core is affected in releases prior to 3.3.10. Upgrade your dependency to 3.3.10 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-12728?
CVE-2019-12728 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-12728?
CVE-2019-12728 is classified under CWE-669: Incorrect Resource Transfer Between Spheres (The product does not properly transfer a resource/behavior to another sphere, or improperly imports a resource/behavior from another sphere, in a manner that provides unintended control over that resource.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2019-12728?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.grails'. 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-pmxf-4v8c-rwr7",
  "modified" : "2022-06-28T14:10:27Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T16:47:09Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-12728" ],
  "summary" : "Incorrect Resource Transfer Between Spheres in Grails",
  "details" : "Grails before 3.3.10 used cleartext HTTP to resolve the SDKMan notification service. NOTE: users' apps were not resolving dependencies over cleartext HTTP.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.grails:grails-core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.3.10"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-12728"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/grails/grails-core/issues/11250"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://objectcomputing.com/news/2019/05/30/possible-grails-mitm-vulnerability"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-494", "CWE-669" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-06-28T14:10:27Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2019-06-04T13:29:00Z"
  }
}