CVE-2018-1256: Spring Framework Issuer Validation Regression Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-q4q2-93pw-qwgf
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CVSS 8.1
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-1256 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.1) issuer validation regression vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Spring Framework libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves issuer validation regression in spring cloud sso connector. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.1.3.RELEASE.

CVE-2018-1256 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-1256
GHSA Identifier GHSA-q4q2-93pw-qwgf
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
Affected Product Spring Framework
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-2018-1256

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

io.pivotal.spring.cloud:spring-cloud-sso-connector fixed: 2.1.3.RELEASE 
<dependency>
    <groupId>io.pivotal.spring.cloud</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-cloud-sso-connector</artifactId>
    <version>2.1.3.RELEASE</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=io.pivotal.spring.cloud

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2018-1256, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=io.pivotal.spring.cloud

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Spring Framework in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.1.3.RELEASE), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=io.pivotal.spring.cloud 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 General Security Weakness. In Spring Framework, 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

Spring Cloud SSO Connector, version 2.1.2, contains a regression which disables issuer validation in resource servers that are not bound to the SSO service. In PCF deployments with multiple SSO service plans, a remote attacker can authenticate to unbound resource servers which use this version of the SSO Connector with tokens generated from another service plan. ### Mitigation Users of affected versions should apply the following mitigation: * Releases that have fixed this issue include:</p><ul><li>Spring Cloud SSO Connector: 2.1.3</li></ul> * Alternatively, you can perform <u>one</u> of the following workarounds:</p><ul><li>Bind your resource server to the SSO service plan via a service instance binding</li><li>Set “sso.connector.cloud.available=true” within your Spring application properties</li></ul>

CVE-2018-1256 Affected Spring Framework Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.1.3.RELEASE
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
io.pivotal.spring.cloud:spring-cloud-sso-connector
maven/io.pivotal.spring.cloud/spring-cloud-sso-connector
Maven
≥ 2.1.2.RELEASE
< 2.1.3.RELEASE
All 1 versions
2.1.2.RELEASE
2.1.3.RELEASE

References

NVD — CVE-2018-1256 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-1256
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/pivotal-cf/spring-cloud-sso-connector/commit/ef647a2acf2363c6018e8543d665ac8862593372
Spring Framework Security Information SECURITY
https://pivotal.io/security/cve-2018-1256

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-1256?
CVE-2018-1256 is a security vulnerability in Spring Framework involving Issuer validation regression in Spring Cloud SSO Connector under General Security Weakness.
Which Spring Framework versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.1.3.RELEASE across affected packages: io.pivotal.spring.cloud:spring-cloud-sso-connector.
What version fixes CVE-2018-1256?
Upgrading to 2.1.3.RELEASE (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is spring-cloud-sso-connector affected?
Yes, io.pivotal.spring.cloud:spring-cloud-sso-connector is affected in releases prior to 2.1.3.RELEASE. Upgrade your dependency to 2.1.3.RELEASE or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-1256?
CVE-2018-1256 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-2018-1256?
CVE-2018-1256 is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2018-1256?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=io.pivotal.spring.cloud'. 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-q4q2-93pw-qwgf",
  "modified" : "2024-03-04T20:48:59Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:07:05Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-1256" ],
  "summary" : "Issuer validation regression in Spring Cloud SSO Connector",
  "details" : "Spring Cloud SSO Connector, version 2.1.2, contains a regression which disables issuer validation in resource servers that are not bound to the SSO service. In PCF deployments with multiple SSO service plans, a remote attacker can authenticate to unbound resource servers which use this version of the SSO Connector with tokens generated from another service plan.\n\n### Mitigation\nUsers of affected versions should apply the following mitigation:\n* Releases that have fixed this issue include:</p><ul><li>Spring Cloud SSO Connector: 2.1.3</li></ul>\n* Alternatively, you can perform <u>one</u> of the following workarounds:</p><ul><li>Bind your resource server to the SSO service plan via a service instance binding</li><li>Set “sso.connector.cloud.available=true” within your Spring application properties</li></ul>\n\n",
  "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" : "io.pivotal.spring.cloud:spring-cloud-sso-connector"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.1.2.RELEASE"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.1.3.RELEASE"
      } ]
    } ],
    "versions" : [ "2.1.2.RELEASE" ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-1256"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/pivotal-cf/spring-cloud-sso-connector/commit/ef647a2acf2363c6018e8543d665ac8862593372"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://pivotal.io/security/cve-2018-1256"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-01-08T21:04:11Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-05-07T16:22:00Z"
  }
}