CVE-2013-2185: Apache Tomcat Deserialization Of Untrusted Data Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-v6c7-8qx5-8gmp
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CWE-502
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2013-2185 is a HIGH deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability (CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data) affecting Apache Tomcat libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves deserialization of untrusted data in apache tomcat. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 7.0.39.

CVE-2013-2185 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2013-2185
GHSA Identifier GHSA-v6c7-8qx5-8gmp
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data
Affected Product Apache Tomcat
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2013-2185

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Apache Tomcat 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.tomcat:tomcat fixed: 7.0.39 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.tomcat</groupId>
    <artifactId>tomcat</artifactId>
    <version>7.0.39</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.tomcat

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2013-2185, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

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

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Apache Tomcat in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 7.0.39), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.tomcat 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-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data, where the product deserializes untrusted data without sufficiently ensuring that the resulting data will be valid. In Apache Tomcat, 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

The readObject method in the DiskFileItem class in Apache Tomcat and JBoss Web, as used in Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 6.1.0 and Red Hat JBoss Portal 6.0.0, allows remote attackers to write to arbitrary files via a NULL byte in a file name in a serialized instance, a similar issue to CVE-2013-2186. NOTE: this issue is reportedly disputed by the Apache Tomcat team, although Red Hat considers it a vulnerability. The dispute appears to regard whether it is the responsibility of applications to avoid providing untrusted data to be deserialized, or whether this class should inherently protect against this issue. Regardless the tomcat maintainers have altered the behavior of this method in version 7.0.39.

CVE-2013-2185 Affected Apache Tomcat Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
7.0.39
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.tomcat:tomcat
maven/org.apache.tomcat/tomcat
Maven
< 7.0.39
7.0.39

References

NVD — CVE-2013-2185 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-2185
Apache Tomcat Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/tomcat
Apache Tomcat Security Information SECURITY
http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2014/10/24/12
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2013-11... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2013-1193.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2013-11... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2013-1194.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2013-12... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2013-1265.html
Apache Tomcat Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2013/09/05/4

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2013-2185?
CVE-2013-2185 is a security vulnerability in Apache Tomcat involving Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Apache Tomcat under CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data.
Which Apache Tomcat versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 7.0.39 across affected packages: org.apache.tomcat:tomcat.
What version fixes CVE-2013-2185?
Upgrading to 7.0.39 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is tomcat affected?
Yes, org.apache.tomcat:tomcat is affected in releases prior to 7.0.39. Upgrade your dependency to 7.0.39 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2013-2185?
CVE-2013-2185 is classified under CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data (The product deserializes untrusted data without sufficiently ensuring that the resulting data will be valid.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2013-2185?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.tomcat'. 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-v6c7-8qx5-8gmp",
  "modified" : "2022-11-03T21:09:17Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T03:47:51Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2013-2185" ],
  "summary" : "Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Apache Tomcat",
  "details" : "The readObject method in the DiskFileItem class in Apache Tomcat and JBoss Web, as used in Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 6.1.0 and Red Hat JBoss Portal 6.0.0, allows remote attackers to write to arbitrary files via a NULL byte in a file name in a serialized instance, a similar issue to CVE-2013-2186.  \n\nNOTE: this issue is reportedly disputed by the Apache Tomcat team, although Red Hat considers it a vulnerability. The dispute appears to regard whether it is the responsibility of applications to avoid providing untrusted data to be deserialized, or whether this class should inherently protect against this issue. Regardless the tomcat maintainers have altered the behavior of this method in version 7.0.39.",
  "severity" : [ ],
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      "name" : "org.apache.tomcat:tomcat"
    },
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      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
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      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.0.39"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2013-2185"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/tomcat"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2014/10/24/12"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2013-1193.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2013-1194.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
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  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2013/09/05/4"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-502" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-11-03T21:09:17Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2014-01-19T18:02:00Z"
  }
}