CVE-2017-12621: Commons jelly Improper Restriction Of XML External Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-6g33-82gc-3pw5
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-611
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2017-12621 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) improper restriction of xml external vulnerability (CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference) affecting Commons jelly libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves improper restriction of xml external entity reference in jelly. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.0.1.

CVE-2017-12621 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2017-12621
GHSA Identifier GHSA-6g33-82gc-3pw5
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference
Affected Product Commons jelly
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-2017-12621

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

commons-jelly:commons-jelly fixed: 1.0.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>commons-jelly</groupId>
    <artifactId>commons-jelly</artifactId>
    <version>1.0.1</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=commons-jelly

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2017-12621, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=commons-jelly

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Commons jelly in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.0.1), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=commons-jelly 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-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference, where the product processes an xml document that can contain xml entities with uris that resolve to documents outside of the intended sphere of control, causing the product to embed incorrect documents into its output. In Commons jelly, 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

During Jelly (xml) file parsing with Apache Xerces, if a custom doctype entity is declared with a "SYSTEM" entity with a URL and that entity is used in the body of the Jelly file, during parser instantiation the parser will attempt to connect to said URL. This could lead to XML External Entity (XXE) attacks in Apache Commons Jelly before 1.0.1.

CVE-2017-12621 Affected Commons jelly Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.0.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
commons-jelly:commons-jelly
maven/commons-jelly/commons-jelly
Maven
< 1.0.1
1.0.1

References

NVD — CVE-2017-12621 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-12621
Commons jelly Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/commons-jelly
issues.apache.org/jira/browse/jelly-2... WEB
https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/JELLY-293
lists.apache.org/thread.html/f1fc3f2... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/f1fc3f2c45264af44ce782d54b5908ac95f02bf7ad88bb57bfb04b73@%3Cdev.commons.apache.org%3E
Commons jelly Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20200227144849/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/101052
Commons jelly Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20210303081618/http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1039444

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2017-12621?
CVE-2017-12621 is a security vulnerability in Commons jelly involving Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference in Jelly under CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference.
Which Commons jelly versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.0.1 across affected packages: commons-jelly:commons-jelly.
What version fixes CVE-2017-12621?
Upgrading to 1.0.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is commons-jelly affected?
Yes, commons-jelly:commons-jelly is affected in releases prior to 1.0.1. Upgrade your dependency to 1.0.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2017-12621?
CVE-2017-12621 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-2017-12621?
CVE-2017-12621 is classified under CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (The product processes an XML document that can contain XML entities with URIs that resolve to documents outside of the intended sphere of control, causing the product to embed incorrect documents into its output.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2017-12621?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=commons-jelly'. 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-6g33-82gc-3pw5",
  "modified" : "2022-07-01T20:33:22Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T00:34:13Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2017-12621" ],
  "summary" : "Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference in Jelly",
  "details" : "During Jelly (xml) file parsing with Apache Xerces, if a custom doctype entity is declared with a \"SYSTEM\" entity with a URL and that entity is used in the body of the Jelly file, during parser instantiation the parser will attempt to connect to said URL. This could lead to XML External Entity (XXE) attacks in Apache Commons Jelly before 1.0.1.",
  "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" : "commons-jelly:commons-jelly"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.0.1"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 1.0"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-12621"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/commons-jelly"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/JELLY-293"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/f1fc3f2c45264af44ce782d54b5908ac95f02bf7ad88bb57bfb04b73@%3Cdev.commons.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20200227144849/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/101052"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20210303081618/http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1039444"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-611" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-07-01T20:33:22Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2017-09-28T01:29:00Z"
  }
}