CVE-2021-36373: Ant Improper Handling Of Length Parameter Vulnerability
MODERATECVE-2021-36373 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.5) improper handling of length parameter vulnerability (CWE-130: Improper Handling of Length Parameter Inconsistency) affecting Ant libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves improper handling of length parameter inconsistency in apache ant. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.9.16, 1.10.11.
CVE-2021-36373 at a Glance
Security Impact
CVSS: 5.5
The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).
How to Fix CVE-2021-36373
To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Ant dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.
<dependency>
<groupId>org.apache.ant</groupId>
<artifactId>ant</artifactId>
<version>1.9.16</version>
</dependency><dependency>
<groupId>org.apache.ant</groupId>
<artifactId>ant</artifactId>
<version>1.10.11</version>
</dependency>Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.antHow to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2021-36373, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.antAnalyze the terminal output to locate any version of Ant in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.9.16), your application is affected.
Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.ant 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-130: Improper Handling of Length Parameter Inconsistency, where the product parses a formatted message or structure, but it does not handle or incorrectly handles a length field that is inconsistent with the actual length of the associated data. In Ant, 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
CVE-2021-36373 Affected Ant Versions
2 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
org.apache.ant:ant
|
Maven |
< 1.9.16
|
1.9.16
|
|
org.apache.ant:ant
|
Maven |
≥ 1.10.0
< 1.10.11
|
1.10.11
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2021-36373?
Which Ant versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2021-36373?
Is ant affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-36373?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-36373?
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-36373?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-q5r4-cfpx-h6fh",
"modified" : "2022-02-08T21:08:16Z",
"published" : "2021-08-02T16:56:17Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-36373" ],
"summary" : "Improper Handling of Length Parameter Inconsistency in Apache Ant",
"details" : "When reading a specially crafted TAR archive an Apache Ant build can be made to allocate large amounts of memory that finally leads to an out of memory error, even for small inputs. This can be used to disrupt builds using Apache Ant. Apache Ant prior to 1.9.16 and 1.10.11 were affected.",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "org.apache.ant:ant"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "1.9.16"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "org.apache.ant:ant"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "1.10.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "1.10.11"
} ]
} ]
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-36373"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://ant.apache.org/security.html"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r27919fd4db07c487239c1d9771f480d89ce5ee2750aa9447309b709a@%3Ccommits.groovy.apache.org%3E"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r544c9e8487431768465b8b2d13982c75123109bd816acf839d46010d@%3Ccommits.groovy.apache.org%3E"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r54afdab05e01de970649c2d91a993f68a6b00cd73e6e34e16c832d46%40%3Cuser.ant.apache.org%3E"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rad36f470647c5a7c02dd78c9973356d2840766d132b597b6444e373a@%3Cnotifications.groovy.apache.org%3E"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf4bb79751a02889623195715925e4fd8932dd3c97e0ade91395a96c6@%3Cdev.myfaces.apache.org%3E"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210819-0007"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2022.html"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2022.html"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2022.html"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.html"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-130" ],
"severity" : "MODERATE",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2021-07-15T19:15:21Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2021-07-14T07:15:00Z"
}
}