CVE-2021-44145: Nifi Exposure Of Sensitive Information To Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-rq96-qhc5-vm4r
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CVSS 6.5
CWE-200
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-44145 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) exposure of sensitive information to vulnerability (CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor) affecting Nifi libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor in apache nifi. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.15.1.

CVE-2021-44145 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-44145
GHSA Identifier GHSA-rq96-qhc5-vm4r
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
Affected Product Nifi
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

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

How to Fix CVE-2021-44145

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Nifi 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.nifi:nifi fixed: 1.15.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.nifi</groupId>
    <artifactId>nifi</artifactId>
    <version>1.15.1</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.nifi

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2021-44145, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

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

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Nifi in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.15.1), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.nifi 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-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor, where the product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information. In Nifi, 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

In the TransformXML processor of Apache NiFi before 1.15.1 an authenticated user could configure an XSLT file which, if it included malicious external entity calls, may reveal sensitive information.

CVE-2021-44145 Affected Nifi Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.15.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.nifi:nifi
maven/org.apache.nifi/nifi
Maven
< 1.15.1
1.15.1

References

NVD — CVE-2021-44145 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-44145
Nifi Security Information SECURITY
https://nifi.apache.org/security.html#1.15.1-vulnerabilities
Nifi Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/12/17/1

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-44145?
CVE-2021-44145 is a security vulnerability in Nifi involving Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor in Apache NiFi under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor.
Which Nifi versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.15.1 across affected packages: org.apache.nifi:nifi.
What version fixes CVE-2021-44145?
Upgrading to 1.15.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is nifi affected?
Yes, org.apache.nifi:nifi is affected in releases prior to 1.15.1. Upgrade your dependency to 1.15.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-44145?
CVE-2021-44145 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-44145?
CVE-2021-44145 is classified under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor (The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-44145?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.nifi'. 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-rq96-qhc5-vm4r",
  "modified" : "2022-01-04T20:18:58Z",
  "published" : "2022-01-05T17:33:32Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-44145" ],
  "summary" : "Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor in Apache NiFi",
  "details" : "In the TransformXML processor of Apache NiFi before 1.15.1 an authenticated user could configure an XSLT file which, if it included malicious external entity calls, may reveal sensitive information.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.nifi:nifi"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.15.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-44145"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://nifi.apache.org/security.html#1.15.1-vulnerabilities"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/12/17/1"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-200" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-01-04T20:18:58Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-12-17T09:15:00Z"
  }
}