CVE-2014-3574: Poi Improper Input Validation Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-5wfp-8643-c58x
Share
CWE-20
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2014-3574 is a MODERATE improper input validation vulnerability (CWE-20: Improper Input Validation) affecting Poi libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves improper input validation in apache poi. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.10.1, 3.11-beta2.

CVE-2014-3574 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2014-3574
GHSA Identifier GHSA-5wfp-8643-c58x
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-20: Improper Input Validation
Affected Product Poi
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2014-3574

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Poi 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.poi:poi fixed: 3.10.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.poi</groupId>
    <artifactId>poi</artifactId>
    <version>3.10.1</version>
</dependency>
org.apache.poi:poi fixed: 3.11-beta2 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.poi</groupId>
    <artifactId>poi</artifactId>
    <version>3.11-beta2</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.poi

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2014-3574, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

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

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Poi in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.10.1), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.poi 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 Poi, 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

Apache POI before 3.10.1 and 3.11.x before 3.11-beta2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption and crash) via a crafted OOXML file, aka an XML Entity Expansion (XEE) attack.

CVE-2014-3574 Affected Poi Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.10.13.11-beta2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.poi:poi
maven/org.apache.poi/poi
Maven
< 3.10.1
3.10.1
org.apache.poi:poi
maven/org.apache.poi/poi
Maven
≥ 3.11-beta1
< 3.11-beta2
All 1 versions
3.11-beta1
3.11-beta2

References

NVD — CVE-2014-3574 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-3574
exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/957... WEB
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/95768
Poi Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/poi
lucene.apache.org/solr/solrnews.html WEB
https://lucene.apache.org/solr/solrnews.html#18-august-2014-recommendation-to-update-apache-poi-in-apache-solr-480-481-and-490-installations
svn.apache.org/repos/asf/poi/branc... WEB
https://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/poi/branches/REL_3_10_BRANCH@1616509
svn.apache.org/repos/asf/poi/trunk... WEB
https://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/poi/trunk@1615720
svn.apache.org/repos/asf/poi/trunk... WEB
https://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/poi/trunk@1615731
svn.apache.org/repos/asf/poi/trunk... WEB
https://svn.apache.org/repos/asf/poi/trunk@1615781
Poi Security Information SECURITY
http://poi.apache.org/changes.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2014-13... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2014-1370.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2014-13... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2014-1398.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2014-13... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2014-1399.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2014-14... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2014-1400.html
www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss WEB
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21996759
www.apache.org/dist/poi/release/re... WEB
http://www.apache.org/dist/poi/release/RELEASE-NOTES.txt

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2014-3574?
CVE-2014-3574 is a security vulnerability in Poi involving Improper Input Validation in Apache POI under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation.
Which Poi versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.10.1, 3.11-beta2 across affected packages: org.apache.poi:poi.
What version fixes CVE-2014-3574?
Upgrading to 3.10.1, 3.11-beta2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is poi affected?
Yes, org.apache.poi:poi is affected in releases prior to 3.10.1, 3.11-beta2. Upgrade your dependency to 3.10.1, 3.11-beta2 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2014-3574?
CVE-2014-3574 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-2014-3574?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.poi'. 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-5wfp-8643-c58x",
  "modified" : "2024-04-16T16:33:24Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T01:24:36Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2014-3574" ],
  "summary" : "Improper Input Validation in Apache POI",
  "details" : "Apache POI before 3.10.1 and 3.11.x before 3.11-beta2 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption and crash) via a crafted OOXML file, aka an XML Entity Expansion (XEE) attack.",
  "severity" : [ ],
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    },
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  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2014-1370.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2014-1398.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2014-1399.html"
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    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2014-1400.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21996759"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.apache.org/dist/poi/release/RELEASE-NOTES.txt"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-07-07T22:41:49Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2014-09-04T17:55:00Z"
  }
}