CVE-2020-13925: Kylin server base Command Injection Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-qwfw-gxx2-mmv2
CVSS 9.8
CWE-78
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-13925 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) command injection vulnerability (CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')) affecting Kylin server base libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves command injection in kylin. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.1.0.

CVE-2020-13925 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-13925
GHSA Identifier GHSA-qwfw-gxx2-mmv2
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
Affected Product Kylin server base
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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:H).

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 High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2020-13925

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Kylin server 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.apache.kylin:kylin-server-base fixed: 3.1.0
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.kylin</groupId>
    <artifactId>kylin-server-base</artifactId>
    <version>3.1.0</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.apache.kylin

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-13925, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.kylin

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Kylin server base in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.1.0), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.kylin 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-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of an os command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended os command when it is sent to a downstream component. In Kylin server 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

Similar to CVE-2020-1956, Kylin has one more restful API which concatenates the API inputs into OS commands and then executes them on the server; while the reported API misses necessary input validation, which causes the hackers to have the possibility to execute OS command remotely. Users of all previous versions after 2.3 should upgrade to 3.1.0.

CVE-2020-13925 Affected Kylin server base Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.1.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.kylin:kylin-server-base
Maven
< 3.1.0
3.1.0

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-13925?
CVE-2020-13925 is a security vulnerability in Kylin server base involving Command Injection in Kylin under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection').
Which Kylin server base versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.1.0 across affected packages: org.apache.kylin:kylin-server-base.
What version fixes CVE-2020-13925?
Upgrading to 3.1.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is kylin-server-base affected?
Yes, org.apache.kylin:kylin-server-base is affected in releases prior to 3.1.0. Upgrade your dependency to 3.1.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-13925?
CVE-2020-13925 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-13925?
CVE-2020-13925 is classified under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') (The product constructs all or part of an OS command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended OS command when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-13925?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.kylin'. 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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-qwfw-gxx2-mmv2",
  "modified" : "2021-09-22T21:50:54Z",
  "published" : "2020-07-27T22:51:37Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-13925" ],
  "summary" : "Command Injection in Kylin",
  "details" : "Similar to CVE-2020-1956, Kylin has one more restful API which concatenates the API inputs into OS commands and then executes them on the server; while the reported API misses necessary input validation, which causes the hackers to have the possibility to execute OS command remotely. Users of all previous versions after 2.3 should upgrade to 3.1.0.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.kylin:kylin-server-base"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-13925"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r021baf9d8d4ae41e8c8332c167c4fa96c91b5086563d9be55d2d7acf@%3Ccommits.kylin.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r250a867961cfd6e0506240a9c7eaee782d84c6ab0091c7c4bc45f3eb%40%3Cuser.kylin.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-ORGAPACHEKYLIN-584373"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-78" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-07-27T22:49:53Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}