CVE-2022-23463: Discovery Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-q979-9m39-23mq
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CVSS 9.4
CWE-917
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-23463 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.4) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-917: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an Expression Language Statement ('Expression Language Injection')) affecting Discovery libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves nepxion discovery vulnerable to spel injection leading to remote code execution. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2022-23463 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-23463
GHSA Identifier GHSA-q979-9m39-23mq
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.4
CWE Classification CWE-917: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an Expression Language Statement ('Expression Language Injection')
Affected Product Discovery
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.4

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:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L).

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

How to Fix CVE-2022-23463

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

com.nepxion:discovery fixed: Latest secure release 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.nepxion</groupId>
    <artifactId>discovery</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=com.nepxion

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2022-23463, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.nepxion

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Discovery 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=com.nepxion 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-917: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an Expression Language Statement ('Expression Language Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of an expression language (el) statement in a framework such as a java server page (jsp) using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended el statement before it is executed. In Discovery, 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

Nepxion Discovery is a solution for Spring Cloud. Discovery is vulnerable to SpEL Injection in discovery-commons. DiscoveryExpressionResolver’s eval method is evaluating expression with a StandardEvaluationContext, allowing the expression to reach and interact with Java classes such as java.lang.Runtime, leading to Remote Code Execution. There is no patch available for this issue at time of publication. There are no known workarounds.

CVE-2022-23463 Affected Discovery Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
com.nepxion:discovery
maven/com.nepxion/discovery
Maven
≤ 6.16.2

References

Discovery Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/Nepxion/Discovery
NVD — CVE-2022-23463 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-23463
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://securitylab.github.com/advisories/GHSL-2022-033_GHSL-2022-034_Discovery

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-23463?
CVE-2022-23463 is a security vulnerability in Discovery involving Nepxion Discovery vulnerable to SpEL Injection leading to Remote Code Execution under CWE-917: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an Expression Language Statement ('Expression Language Injection').
Which Discovery versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: com.nepxion:discovery.
What version fixes CVE-2022-23463?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is discovery affected?
Yes, com.nepxion:discovery 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-2022-23463?
CVE-2022-23463 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.4 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-23463?
CVE-2022-23463 is classified under CWE-917: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an Expression Language Statement ('Expression Language Injection') (The product constructs all or part of an expression language (EL) statement in a framework such as a Java Server Page (JSP) using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended EL statement before it is executed.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2022-23463?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.nepxion'. 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-q979-9m39-23mq",
  "modified" : "2022-09-28T03:30:11Z",
  "published" : "2022-09-25T00:00:15Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-23463" ],
  "summary" : "Nepxion Discovery vulnerable to SpEL Injection leading to Remote Code Execution",
  "details" : "Nepxion Discovery is a solution for Spring Cloud. Discovery is vulnerable to SpEL Injection in discovery-commons. DiscoveryExpressionResolver’s eval method is evaluating expression with a StandardEvaluationContext, allowing the expression to reach and interact with Java classes such as java.lang.Runtime, leading to Remote Code Execution. There is no patch available for this issue at time of publication. There are no known workarounds.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:L"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.nepxion:discovery"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "6.16.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-23463"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/Nepxion/Discovery"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://securitylab.github.com/advisories/GHSL-2022-033_GHSL-2022-034_Discovery"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-917" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-09-28T03:30:11Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-09-24T05:15:00Z"
  }
}