CVE-2019-16148: Chat base Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-q8wc-9xvp-g3c3
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CVSS 6.1
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-16148 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.1) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Chat base libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves cross-site scripting in sakai. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2019-16148 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-16148
GHSA Identifier GHSA-q8wc-9xvp-g3c3
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.1
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Chat base
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.1

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:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2019-16148

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Chat base 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.sakaiproject:chat-base fixed: Latest secure release 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.sakaiproject</groupId>
    <artifactId>chat-base</artifactId>
    <version>Latest secure 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=org.sakaiproject

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2019-16148, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.sakaiproject

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

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.sakaiproject 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-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'), where the product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users. In Chat base, 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

Sakai through 12.6 allows XSS via a chat user name.

CVE-2019-16148 Affected Chat base Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.sakaiproject:chat-base
maven/org.sakaiproject/chat-base
Maven
≤ 12.6

References

NVD — CVE-2019-16148 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-16148
Chat base Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/sakaiproject/sakai/pull/6971

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-16148?
CVE-2019-16148 is a security vulnerability in Chat base involving Cross-site scripting in Sakai under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Chat base versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: org.sakaiproject:chat-base.
What version fixes CVE-2019-16148?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is chat-base affected?
Yes, org.sakaiproject:chat-base is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-16148?
CVE-2019-16148 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.1 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-16148?
CVE-2019-16148 is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') (The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2019-16148?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.sakaiproject'. 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-q8wc-9xvp-g3c3",
  "modified" : "2021-08-17T22:29:12Z",
  "published" : "2019-09-23T18:33:18Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-16148" ],
  "summary" : "Cross-site scripting in Sakai",
  "details" : "Sakai through 12.6 allows XSS via a chat user name.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.sakaiproject:chat-base"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "12.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-16148"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/sakaiproject/sakai/pull/6971"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2019-09-19T14:57:19Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2019-09-09T13:15:00Z"
  }
}