CVE-2015-2156: Netty parent Information Exposure Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-xfv3-rrfm-f2rv
Share
CVSS 7.5
CWE-20
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2015-2156 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) information exposure vulnerability (CWE-20: Improper Input Validation) affecting Netty parent libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves information exposure in netty. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.0.28.Final, 3.9.8.Final, 3.10.3.Final.

CVE-2015-2156 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2015-2156
GHSA Identifier GHSA-xfv3-rrfm-f2rv
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-20: Improper Input Validation
Affected Product Netty parent
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-2015-2156

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

io.netty:netty-parent fixed: 4.0.28.Final 
<dependency>
    <groupId>io.netty</groupId>
    <artifactId>netty-parent</artifactId>
    <version>4.0.28.Final</version>
</dependency>
org.jboss.netty:netty fixed: 3.9.8.Final 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.jboss.netty</groupId>
    <artifactId>netty</artifactId>
    <version>3.9.8.Final</version>
</dependency>
org.jboss.netty:netty fixed: 3.10.3.Final 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.jboss.netty</groupId>
    <artifactId>netty</artifactId>
    <version>3.10.3.Final</version>
</dependency>
io.netty:netty fixed: 3.10.3.Final 
<dependency>
    <groupId>io.netty</groupId>
    <artifactId>netty</artifactId>
    <version>3.10.3.Final</version>
</dependency>
io.netty:netty fixed: 3.9.8.Final 
<dependency>
    <groupId>io.netty</groupId>
    <artifactId>netty</artifactId>
    <version>3.9.8.Final</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=io.netty

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2015-2156, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=io.netty

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Netty parent in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.0.28.Final), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=io.netty 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-20: Improper Input Validation, where the product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly. In Netty parent, 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

Netty before 3.9.8.Final, 3.10.x before 3.10.3.Final, 4.0.x before 4.0.28.Final, and 4.1.x before 4.1.0.Beta5 and Play Framework 2.x before 2.3.9 might allow remote attackers to bypass the httpOnly flag on cookies and obtain sensitive information by leveraging improper validation of cookie name and value characters.

CVE-2015-2156 Affected Netty parent Versions

5 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.0.28.Final3.9.8.Final3.10.3.Final
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
io.netty:netty-parent
maven/io.netty/netty-parent
Maven
≥ 4.0.0
< 4.0.28.Final
4.0.28.Final
org.jboss.netty:netty
maven/org.jboss.netty/netty
Maven
< 3.9.8.Final
3.9.8.Final
org.jboss.netty:netty
maven/org.jboss.netty/netty
Maven
≥ 3.10.0
< 3.10.3.Final
3.10.3.Final
io.netty:netty
maven/io.netty/netty
Maven
≥ 3.10.0
< 3.10.3.Final
3.10.3.Final
io.netty:netty
maven/io.netty/netty
Maven
< 3.9.8.Final
3.9.8.Final

References

NVD — CVE-2015-2156 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-2156
Netty parent Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/netty/netty/pull/3748/commits/4ac519f534493bb0ca7a77e1c779138a54faa7b9
Netty parent Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/netty/netty/pull/3754
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/netty/netty/commit/2caa38a2795fe1f1ae6ceda4d69e826ed7c55e55
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/netty/netty/commit/31815598a2af37f0b71ea94eada70d6659c23752
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1222923
Netty parent Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/netty/netty
lists.apache.org/thread.html/9317fd0... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/9317fd092b257a0815434b116a8af8daea6e920b6673f4fd5583d5fe@%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/a19bb10... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/a19bb1003b0d6cd22475ba83c019b4fc7facfef2a9e13f71132529d3@%3Ccommits.cassandra.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/dc1275a... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/dc1275aef115bda172851a231c76c0932d973f9ffd8bc375c4aba769@%3Ccommits.cassandra.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/ff8dcfe... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ff8dcfe29377088ab655fda9d585dccd5b1f07fabd94ae84fd60a7f8@%3Ccommits.pulsar.apache.org%3E
snyk.io/vuln/snyk-java-ione... WEB
https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-IONETTY-73571
Netty parent Security Information SECURITY
https://www.playframework.com/security/vulnerability/CVE-2015-2156-HttpOnlyBypass
lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-a... WEB
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-June/159379.html
lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-a... WEB
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-May/159166.html
Netty parent Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/74704
netty.io/news/2015/05/08/3-9... WEB
http://netty.io/news/2015/05/08/3-9-8-Final-and-3.html
Netty parent Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/05/17/1

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2015-2156?
CVE-2015-2156 is a security vulnerability in Netty parent involving Information Exposure in Netty under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation.
Which Netty parent versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.0.28.Final, 3.9.8.Final, 3.10.3.Final across affected packages: io.netty:netty-parent, org.jboss.netty:netty, io.netty:netty.
What version fixes CVE-2015-2156?
Upgrading to 4.0.28.Final, 3.9.8.Final, 3.10.3.Final (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is netty-parent affected?
Yes, io.netty:netty-parent is affected in releases prior to 4.0.28.Final. Upgrade your dependency to 4.0.28.Final or later.
Is netty affected?
Yes, org.jboss.netty:netty is affected in releases prior to 3.9.8.Final, 3.10.3.Final. Upgrade your dependency to 3.9.8.Final, 3.10.3.Final or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2015-2156?
CVE-2015-2156 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-2015-2156?
CVE-2015-2156 is classified under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation (The product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2015-2156?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=io.netty'. 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-xfv3-rrfm-f2rv",
  "modified" : "2021-09-22T18:45:29Z",
  "published" : "2020-06-30T21:01:21Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2015-2156" ],
  "summary" : "Information Exposure in Netty",
  "details" : "Netty before 3.9.8.Final, 3.10.x before 3.10.3.Final, 4.0.x before 4.0.28.Final, and 4.1.x before 4.1.0.Beta5 and Play Framework 2.x before 2.3.9 might allow remote attackers to bypass the httpOnly flag on cookies and obtain sensitive information by leveraging improper validation of cookie name and value characters.",
  "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" : "io.netty:netty-parent"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "4.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.0.28.Final"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.jboss.netty:netty"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.9.8.Final"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.jboss.netty:netty"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.10.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.10.3.Final"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "io.netty:netty"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.10.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.10.3.Final"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "io.netty:netty"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.9.8.Final"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-2156"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/netty/netty/pull/3748/commits/4ac519f534493bb0ca7a77e1c779138a54faa7b9"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/netty/netty/pull/3754"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/netty/netty/commit/2caa38a2795fe1f1ae6ceda4d69e826ed7c55e55"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/netty/netty/commit/31815598a2af37f0b71ea94eada70d6659c23752"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1222923"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/netty/netty"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/9317fd092b257a0815434b116a8af8daea6e920b6673f4fd5583d5fe@%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/a19bb1003b0d6cd22475ba83c019b4fc7facfef2a9e13f71132529d3@%3Ccommits.cassandra.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/dc1275aef115bda172851a231c76c0932d973f9ffd8bc375c4aba769@%3Ccommits.cassandra.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ff8dcfe29377088ab655fda9d585dccd5b1f07fabd94ae84fd60a7f8@%3Ccommits.pulsar.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://snyk.io/vuln/SNYK-JAVA-IONETTY-73571"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.playframework.com/security/vulnerability/CVE-2015-2156-HttpOnlyBypass"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-June/159379.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/package-announce/2015-May/159166.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://netty.io/news/2015/05/08/3-9-8-Final-and-3.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2015/05/17/1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/74704"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-30T20:59:55Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}