CVE-2016-4800: Jetty server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-872g-2h8h-362q
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-284
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-4800 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-284: Improper Access Control) affecting Jetty server libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves jetty contains an alias issue that could allow unauthenticated remote code execution due to specially crafted request. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 9.3.9.

CVE-2016-4800 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-4800
GHSA Identifier GHSA-872g-2h8h-362q
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-284: Improper Access Control
Affected Product Jetty server
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:3.0/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-2016-4800

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Jetty server 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.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server fixed: 9.3.9 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.eclipse.jetty</groupId>
    <artifactId>jetty-server</artifactId>
    <version>9.3.9</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.eclipse.jetty

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2016-4800, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.eclipse.jetty

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Jetty server in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 9.3.9), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.eclipse.jetty 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-284: Improper Access Control, where the product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor. In Jetty server, 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 path normalization mechanism in PathResource class in Eclipse Jetty 9.3.x before 9.3.9 on Windows allows remote attackers to bypass protected resource restrictions and other security constraints via a URL with certain escaped characters, related to backslashes.

CVE-2016-4800 Affected Jetty server Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
9.3.9
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server
maven/org.eclipse.jetty/jetty-server
Maven
≥ 9.3.0
< 9.3.9
9.3.9

References

NVD — CVE-2016-4800 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-4800
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-872g-2h8h-362q
Jetty server Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190307-0006
Jetty server Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2020.html
dev.eclipse.org/mhonarc/lists/jetty... WEB
http://dev.eclipse.org/mhonarc/lists/jetty-announce/msg00092.html
www.ocert.org/advisories/ocert-20... WEB
http://www.ocert.org/advisories/ocert-2016-001.html
Jetty server Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/90945
www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/zdi-16-3... WEB
http://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-16-362

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-4800?
CVE-2016-4800 is a security vulnerability in Jetty server involving Jetty contains an alias issue that could allow unauthenticated remote code execution due to specially crafted request under CWE-284: Improper Access Control.
Which Jetty server versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 9.3.9 across affected packages: org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server.
What version fixes CVE-2016-4800?
Upgrading to 9.3.9 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is jetty-server affected?
Yes, org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server is affected in releases prior to 9.3.9. Upgrade your dependency to 9.3.9 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-4800?
CVE-2016-4800 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-4800?
CVE-2016-4800 is classified under CWE-284: Improper Access Control (The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2016-4800?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.eclipse.jetty'. 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-872g-2h8h-362q",
  "modified" : "2022-09-14T01:07:09Z",
  "published" : "2018-10-19T16:16:16Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-4800" ],
  "summary" : "Jetty contains an alias issue that could allow unauthenticated remote code execution due to specially crafted request",
  "details" : "The path normalization mechanism in PathResource class in Eclipse Jetty 9.3.x before 9.3.9 on Windows allows remote attackers to bypass protected resource restrictions and other security constraints via a URL with certain escaped characters, related to backslashes.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "9.3.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "9.3.9"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-4800"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-872g-2h8h-362q"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20190307-0006"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2020.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://dev.eclipse.org/mhonarc/lists/jetty-announce/msg00092.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.ocert.org/advisories/ocert-2016-001.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/90945"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-16-362"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-284" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:24:37Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}