CVE-2023-28462: Payara aggregator Payara Server Allows Remote Attackers Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-xc93-587g-mxm7
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-502
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-28462 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) payara server allows remote attackers vulnerability (CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data) affecting Payara aggregator libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves payara server allows remote attackers to load malicious code on the server once a jndi directory scan is performed. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 6.2022.1.Alpha3.

CVE-2023-28462 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-28462
GHSA Identifier GHSA-xc93-587g-mxm7
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data
Affected Product Payara aggregator
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-2023-28462

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Payara aggregator dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

fish.payara.server:payara-aggregator fixed: 6.2022.1.Alpha3 
<dependency>
    <groupId>fish.payara.server</groupId>
    <artifactId>payara-aggregator</artifactId>
    <version>6.2022.1.Alpha3</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=fish.payara.server

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2023-28462, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=fish.payara.server

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Payara aggregator in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 6.2022.1.Alpha3), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=fish.payara.server 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 Payara aggregator, 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 JNDI rebind operation in the default ORB listener in Payara Server 4.1.2.191 (Enterprise), 5.20.0 and newer (Enterprise), and 5.2020.1 and newer (Community), when Java 1.8u181 and earlier is used, allows remote attackers to load malicious code on the server once a JNDI directory scan is performed.

CVE-2023-28462 Affected Payara aggregator Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
6.2022.1.Alpha3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
fish.payara.server:payara-aggregator
maven/fish.payara.server/payara-aggregator
Maven
≥ 5.2020.1
< 6.2022.1.Alpha3
6.2022.1.Alpha3

References

NVD — CVE-2023-28462 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-28462
blog.payara.fish/vulnerability-affec... WEB
https://blog.payara.fish/vulnerability-affecting-server-environments-on-java-1.8-on-updates-lower-than-1.8u191
Payara aggregator Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/payara/Payara

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-28462?
CVE-2023-28462 is a security vulnerability in Payara aggregator involving Payara Server allows remote attackers to load malicious code on the server once a JNDI directory scan is performed under CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data.
Which Payara aggregator versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 6.2022.1.Alpha3 across affected packages: fish.payara.server:payara-aggregator.
What version fixes CVE-2023-28462?
Upgrading to 6.2022.1.Alpha3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is payara-aggregator affected?
Yes, fish.payara.server:payara-aggregator is affected in releases prior to 6.2022.1.Alpha3. Upgrade your dependency to 6.2022.1.Alpha3 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-28462?
CVE-2023-28462 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-2023-28462?
CVE-2023-28462 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-2023-28462?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=fish.payara.server'. 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-xc93-587g-mxm7",
  "modified" : "2023-04-10T16:38:33Z",
  "published" : "2023-03-30T21:30:21Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-28462" ],
  "summary" : "Payara Server allows remote attackers to load malicious code on the server once a JNDI directory scan is performed",
  "details" : "A JNDI rebind operation in the default ORB listener in Payara Server 4.1.2.191 (Enterprise), 5.20.0 and newer (Enterprise), and 5.2020.1 and newer (Community), when Java 1.8u181 and earlier is used, allows remote attackers to load malicious code on the server once a JNDI directory scan is performed.",
  "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" : "fish.payara.server:payara-aggregator"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.2020.1"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "6.2022.1.Alpha3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-28462"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://blog.payara.fish/vulnerability-affecting-server-environments-on-java-1.8-on-updates-lower-than-1.8u191"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/payara/Payara"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-502" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-04-10T16:38:33Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-03-30T20:15:00Z"
  }
}