CVE-2018-13864: Play 2.12 Path Traversal Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-v4mq-p756-p4f5
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-13864 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Play 2.12 libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves play framework's assets controller vulnerable to directory traversal. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.6.16.

CVE-2018-13864 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-13864
GHSA Identifier GHSA-v4mq-p756-p4f5
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Play 2.12
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).

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 None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2018-13864

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Play 2.12 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.typesafe.play:play_2.12 fixed: 2.6.16 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.typesafe.play</groupId>
    <artifactId>play_2.12</artifactId>
    <version>2.6.16</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.typesafe.play

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2018-13864, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.typesafe.play

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Play 2.12 in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.6.16), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.typesafe.play 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-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. In Play 2.12, 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

A directory traversal vulnerability has been found in the Assets controller in Play Framework 2.6.12 through 2.6.15 (fixed in 2.6.16) when running on Windows. It allows a remote attacker to download arbitrary files from the target server via specially crafted HTTP requests.

CVE-2018-13864 Affected Play 2.12 Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.6.16
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
com.typesafe.play:play_2.12
maven/com.typesafe.play/play_2.12
Maven
≥ 2.6.12
< 2.6.16
2.6.16

References

NVD — CVE-2018-13864 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-13864
discuss.lightbend.com/t/play-2-6-16-relea... WEB
https://discuss.lightbend.com/t/play-2-6-16-released/1575
Play 2.12 Security Information SECURITY
https://www.playframework.com/security/vulnerability/CVE-2018-13864-PathTraversal

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-13864?
CVE-2018-13864 is a security vulnerability in Play 2.12 involving Play Framework's Assets controller vulnerable to directory traversal under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Play 2.12 versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.6.16 across affected packages: com.typesafe.play:play_2.12.
What version fixes CVE-2018-13864?
Upgrading to 2.6.16 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is play_2.12 affected?
Yes, com.typesafe.play:play_2.12 is affected in releases prior to 2.6.16. Upgrade your dependency to 2.6.16 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-13864?
CVE-2018-13864 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-13864?
CVE-2018-13864 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2018-13864?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.typesafe.play'. 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-v4mq-p756-p4f5",
  "modified" : "2022-11-22T19:45:54Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:30:27Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-13864" ],
  "summary" : "Play Framework's Assets controller vulnerable to directory traversal",
  "details" : "A directory traversal vulnerability has been found in the Assets controller in Play Framework 2.6.12 through 2.6.15 (fixed in 2.6.16) when running on Windows. It allows a remote attacker to download arbitrary files from the target server via specially crafted HTTP requests.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.typesafe.play:play_2.12"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.6.12"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.6.16"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-13864"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://discuss.lightbend.com/t/play-2-6-16-released/1575"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.playframework.com/security/vulnerability/CVE-2018-13864-PathTraversal"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-11-22T19:45:54Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-07-17T12:29:00Z"
  }
}