CVE-2017-17485: Jackson databind Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-rfx6-vp9g-rh7v
Share
CVSS 9.8
CWE-502
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2017-17485 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data) affecting Jackson databind libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves jackson-databind vulnerable to remote code execution due to incorrect deserialization and blocklist bypass. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.9.4, 2.8.11, 2.7.9.2.

CVE-2017-17485 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2017-17485
GHSA Identifier GHSA-rfx6-vp9g-rh7v
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data
Affected Product Jackson databind
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-2017-17485

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

com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind fixed: 2.9.4 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.fasterxml.jackson.core</groupId>
    <artifactId>jackson-databind</artifactId>
    <version>2.9.4</version>
</dependency>
com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind fixed: 2.8.11 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.fasterxml.jackson.core</groupId>
    <artifactId>jackson-databind</artifactId>
    <version>2.8.11</version>
</dependency>
com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind fixed: 2.7.9.2 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.fasterxml.jackson.core</groupId>
    <artifactId>jackson-databind</artifactId>
    <version>2.7.9.2</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=com.fasterxml.jackson.core

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2017-17485, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.fasterxml.jackson.core

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Jackson databind in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.9.4), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.fasterxml.jackson.core 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 Jackson databind, 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

FasterXML jackson-databind through 2.8.10 and 2.9.x through 2.9.3 allows unauthenticated remote code execution because of an incomplete fix for the CVE-2017-7525 deserialization flaw. This is exploitable by sending maliciously crafted JSON input to the readValue method of the ObjectMapper, bypassing a blacklist that is ineffective if the Spring libraries are available in the classpath.

CVE-2017-17485 Affected Jackson databind Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.9.42.8.112.7.9.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind
maven/com.fasterxml.jackson.core/jackson-databind
Maven
≥ 2.9.0
< 2.9.4
2.9.4
com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind
maven/com.fasterxml.jackson.core/jackson-databind
Maven
≥ 2.8.0
< 2.8.11
2.8.11
com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind
maven/com.fasterxml.jackson.core/jackson-databind
Maven
< 2.7.9.2
2.7.9.2

References

NVD — CVE-2017-17485 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-17485
Jackson databind Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/FasterXML/jackson-databind/issues/1855
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/FasterXML/jackson-databind/commit/10fe7f17ea7c8da2a71e7a0c774b420a1d5c1b50
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/FasterXML/jackson-databind/commit/2235894210c75f624a3d0cd60bfb0434a20a18bf
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/FasterXML/jackson-databind/commit/459107dccc9b3ea991af3e6ad0953e54b01ef7c1
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/FasterXML/jackson-databind/commit/4f16f67ebd22c7522fdbb8a7eb87e3026a807d61
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/FasterXML/jackson-databind/commit/978798382ceb72229e5036aa1442943933d6d171
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/FasterXML/jackson-databind/commit/f031f27a31625d07922bdd090664c69544200a5d
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/FasterXML/jackson-databind/commit/eb217dd0f87c5fb471e0668575644aa7eba9a3d3
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/FasterXML/jackson-databind/commit/bb45fb16709018842f858f1a6e1118676aaa34bd
Jackson databind Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/FasterXML/jackson-databind
Jackson databind Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/irsl/jackson-rce-via-spel
Jackson databind Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20180201-0003
support.hpe.com/hpsc/doc/public/dis... WEB
https://support.hpe.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docLocale=en_US&docId=emr_na-hpesbhf03902en_us
Jackson databind Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20200927162225/http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/541652/100/0/threaded
Jackson databind Security Information SECURITY
https://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4114
Jackson databind Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2020.html
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:01... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0116
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:03... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0342
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:04... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0478
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:04... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0479
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:04... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0480
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:04... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0481
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:14... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:1447
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:14... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:1448
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:14... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:1449
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:14... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:1450
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:14... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:1451
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:29... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2930
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2019:17... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:1782
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2019:17... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:1797
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2019:28... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:2858
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2019:31... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:3149
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2019:38... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:3892

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2017-17485?
CVE-2017-17485 is a security vulnerability in Jackson databind involving jackson-databind vulnerable to remote code execution due to incorrect deserialization and blocklist bypass under CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data.
Which Jackson databind versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.9.4, 2.8.11, 2.7.9.2 across affected packages: com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind.
What version fixes CVE-2017-17485?
Upgrading to 2.9.4, 2.8.11, 2.7.9.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is jackson-databind affected?
Yes, com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind is affected in releases prior to 2.9.4, 2.8.11, 2.7.9.2. Upgrade your dependency to 2.9.4, 2.8.11, 2.7.9.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2017-17485?
CVE-2017-17485 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-2017-17485?
CVE-2017-17485 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-2017-17485?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.fasterxml.jackson.core'. 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 
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  "id" : "GHSA-rfx6-vp9g-rh7v",
  "modified" : "2024-03-01T21:35:57Z",
  "published" : "2018-10-18T17:42:48Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2017-17485" ],
  "summary" : "jackson-databind vulnerable to remote code execution due to incorrect deserialization and blocklist bypass",
  "details" : "FasterXML jackson-databind through 2.8.10 and 2.9.x through 2.9.3 allows unauthenticated remote code execution because of an incomplete fix for the CVE-2017-7525 deserialization flaw. This is exploitable by sending maliciously crafted JSON input to the readValue method of the ObjectMapper, bypassing a blacklist that is ineffective if the Spring libraries are available in the classpath.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
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  } ],
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    },
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  "database_specific" : {
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    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:54:38Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-01-10T18:29:00Z"
  }
}