CVE-2021-36737: Pluto portal Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-x588-g38j-f672
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CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-36737 is a MODERATE cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Pluto portal libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves cross-site scripting in apache pluto. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.1.1.

CVE-2021-36737 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-36737
GHSA Identifier GHSA-x588-g38j-f672
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Pluto portal
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2021-36737

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Pluto portal 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.portals.pluto:pluto-portal fixed: 3.1.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.portals.pluto</groupId>
    <artifactId>pluto-portal</artifactId>
    <version>3.1.1</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.portals.pluto

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2021-36737, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.portals.pluto

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Pluto portal in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.1.1), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.portals.pluto 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-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'), where the product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users. In Pluto portal, 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 input fields of the Apache Pluto UrlTestPortlet are vulnerable to Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks. Users should migrate to version 3.1.1 of the v3-demo-portlet.war artifact

CVE-2021-36737 Affected Pluto portal Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.1.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.portals.pluto:pluto-portal
maven/org.apache.portals.pluto/pluto-portal
Maven
< 3.1.1
3.1.1

References

NVD — CVE-2021-36737 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-36737
Pluto portal Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/portals-pluto
lists.apache.org/thread/x7kt47bf358x... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread/x7kt47bf358x8sg9qg02zt0dmdrtow25

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-36737?
CVE-2021-36737 is a security vulnerability in Pluto portal involving Cross-site Scripting in Apache Pluto under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Pluto portal versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.1.1 across affected packages: org.apache.portals.pluto:pluto-portal.
What version fixes CVE-2021-36737?
Upgrading to 3.1.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is pluto-portal affected?
Yes, org.apache.portals.pluto:pluto-portal is affected in releases prior to 3.1.1. Upgrade your dependency to 3.1.1 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-36737?
CVE-2021-36737 is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') (The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-36737?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.portals.pluto'. 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-x588-g38j-f672",
  "modified" : "2022-01-07T23:37:32Z",
  "published" : "2022-01-08T00:46:20Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-36737" ],
  "summary" : "Cross-site Scripting in Apache Pluto",
  "details" : "The input fields of the Apache Pluto UrlTestPortlet are vulnerable to Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks. Users should migrate to version 3.1.1 of the v3-demo-portlet.war artifact",
  "severity" : [ ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.portals.pluto:pluto-portal"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.1.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-36737"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/portals-pluto"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread/x7kt47bf358x8sg9qg02zt0dmdrtow25"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-01-07T23:37:32Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-01-06T09:15:00Z"
  }
}