CVE-2017-15708: Synapse core Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-p694-23q3-rvrc
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-502 CWE-74
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2017-15708 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data) affecting Synapse core libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves remote code execution in apache synapse. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.0.1.

CVE-2017-15708 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2017-15708
GHSA Identifier GHSA-p694-23q3-rvrc
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data
Affected Product Synapse core
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-2017-15708

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Synapse core 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.synapse:synapse-core fixed: 3.0.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.synapse</groupId>
    <artifactId>synapse-core</artifactId>
    <version>3.0.1</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=org.apache.synapse

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2017-15708, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

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

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Synapse core in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.0.1), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.synapse 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 Synapse core, 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

In Apache Synapse, by default no authentication is required for Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI). So Apache Synapse 3.0.1 or all previous releases (3.0.0, 2.1.0, 2.0.0, 1.2, 1.1.2, 1.1.1) allows remote code execution attacks that can be performed by injecting specially crafted serialized objects. And the presence of Apache Commons Collections 3.2.1 (commons-collections-3.2.1.jar) or previous versions in Synapse distribution makes this exploitable. To mitigate the issue, we need to limit RMI access to trusted users only. Further upgrading to 3.0.1 version will eliminate the risk of having said Commons Collection version. In Synapse 3.0.1, Commons Collection has been updated to 3.2.2 version.

CVE-2017-15708 Affected Synapse core Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.0.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.synapse:synapse-core
maven/org.apache.synapse/synapse-core
Maven
< 3.0.1
3.0.1

References

NVD — CVE-2017-15708 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-15708
lists.apache.org/thread.html/77f2acc... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/77f2accf240d25d91b47033e2f8ebec84ffbc6e6627112b2f98b66c9@%3Cdev.synapse.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r0fb289... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r0fb289cd38c915b9a13a3376134f96222dd9100f1ef66b41631865c6@%3Ccommits.doris.apache.org%3E
Synapse core Security Information SECURITY
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202107-37
Synapse core Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2020.html
Synapse core Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2020.html
Synapse core Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/102154

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2017-15708?
CVE-2017-15708 is a security vulnerability in Synapse core involving Remote Code Execution in Apache Synapse under CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data.
Which Synapse core versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.0.1 across affected packages: org.apache.synapse:synapse-core.
What version fixes CVE-2017-15708?
Upgrading to 3.0.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is synapse-core affected?
Yes, org.apache.synapse:synapse-core is affected in releases prior to 3.0.1. Upgrade your dependency to 3.0.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2017-15708?
CVE-2017-15708 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-2017-15708?
CVE-2017-15708 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-2017-15708?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.synapse'. 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-p694-23q3-rvrc",
  "modified" : "2022-03-18T20:16:31Z",
  "published" : "2020-11-04T18:23:25Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2017-15708" ],
  "summary" : "Remote Code Execution in Apache Synapse",
  "details" : "In Apache Synapse, by default no authentication is required for Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI). So Apache Synapse 3.0.1 or all previous releases (3.0.0, 2.1.0, 2.0.0, 1.2, 1.1.2, 1.1.1) allows remote code execution attacks that can be performed by injecting specially crafted serialized objects. And the presence of Apache Commons Collections 3.2.1 (commons-collections-3.2.1.jar) or previous versions in Synapse distribution makes this exploitable. To mitigate the issue, we need to limit RMI access to trusted users only. Further upgrading to 3.0.1 version will eliminate the risk of having said Commons Collection version. In Synapse 3.0.1, Commons Collection has been updated to 3.2.2 version.",
  "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" : "org.apache.synapse:synapse-core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.0.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-15708"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/77f2accf240d25d91b47033e2f8ebec84ffbc6e6627112b2f98b66c9@%3Cdev.synapse.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r0fb289cd38c915b9a13a3376134f96222dd9100f1ef66b41631865c6@%3Ccommits.doris.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202107-37"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2020.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujul2020.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/102154"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-502", "CWE-74" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-11-04T18:21:43Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2017-12-11T15:29:00Z"
  }
}