CVE-2020-17534: Pom Improper Synchronization Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-ppc3-fpvh-7396
Share
CVSS 7.0
CWE-362
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-17534 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.0) improper synchronization vulnerability (CWE-362: Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')) affecting Pom libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves improper synchronization in apache netbeans html/java api. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.7.1.

CVE-2020-17534 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-17534
GHSA Identifier GHSA-ppc3-fpvh-7396
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.0
CWE Classification CWE-362: Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')
Affected Product Pom
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.0

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

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
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-2020-17534

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Pom 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.netbeans.html:pom fixed: 1.7.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.netbeans.html</groupId>
    <artifactId>pom</artifactId>
    <version>1.7.1</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=org.netbeans.html

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-17534, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.netbeans.html

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Pom in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.7.1), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.netbeans.html 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-362: Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition'), where the product contains a concurrent code sequence that requires temporary, exclusive access to a shared resource, but a timing window exists in which the shared resource can be modified by another code sequence operating concurrently. In Pom, 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

There exists a race condition between the deletion of the temporary file and the creation of the temporary directory in `webkit` subproject of HTML/Java API version 1.7. A similar vulnerability has recently been disclosed in other Java projects and the fix in HTML/Java API version 1.7.1 follows theirs: To avoid local privilege escalation version 1.7.1 creates the temporary directory atomically without dealing with the temporary file.

CVE-2020-17534 Affected Pom Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.7.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.netbeans.html:pom
maven/org.netbeans.html/pom
Maven
< 1.7.1
1.7.1

References

NVD — CVE-2020-17534 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-17534
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/apache/netbeans-html4j/commit/fa70e507e5555e1adb4f6518479fc408a7abd0e6
lists.apache.org/thread.html/ra6119c... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ra6119c0cdfccf051a846fa11b61364f5df9e7db93c310706a947f86a%40%3Cdev.netbeans.apache.org%3E

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-17534?
CVE-2020-17534 is a security vulnerability in Pom involving Improper synchronization in Apache Netbeans HTML/Java API under CWE-362: Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition').
Which Pom versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.7.1 across affected packages: org.netbeans.html:pom.
What version fixes CVE-2020-17534?
Upgrading to 1.7.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is pom affected?
Yes, org.netbeans.html:pom is affected in releases prior to 1.7.1. Upgrade your dependency to 1.7.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-17534?
CVE-2020-17534 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.0 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-17534?
CVE-2020-17534 is classified under CWE-362: Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition') (The product contains a concurrent code sequence that requires temporary, exclusive access to a shared resource, but a timing window exists in which the shared resource can be modified by another code sequence operating concurrently.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-17534?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.netbeans.html'. 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-ppc3-fpvh-7396",
  "modified" : "2022-05-03T19:31:06Z",
  "published" : "2022-02-09T22:25:18Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-17534" ],
  "summary" : "Improper synchronization in Apache Netbeans HTML/Java API",
  "details" : "There exists a race condition between the deletion of the temporary file and the creation of the temporary directory in `webkit` subproject of HTML/Java API version 1.7. A similar vulnerability has recently been disclosed in other Java projects and the fix in HTML/Java API version 1.7.1 follows theirs: To avoid local privilege escalation version 1.7.1 creates the temporary directory atomically without dealing with the temporary file.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.netbeans.html:pom"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.7.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-17534"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/netbeans-html4j/commit/fa70e507e5555e1adb4f6518479fc408a7abd0e6"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ra6119c0cdfccf051a846fa11b61364f5df9e7db93c310706a947f86a%40%3Cdev.netbeans.apache.org%3E"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-362" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-04-06T22:32:25Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-01-11T16:15:00Z"
  }
}