CVE-2018-1000822: Fess XML External Entity (XXE) Vulnerability Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-77hp-pfxw-4w63
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CVSS 10.0
CWE-611
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-1000822 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 10.0) xml external entity (xxe) vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference) affecting Fess libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves xml external entity (xxe) vulnerability in codelibs fess. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 12.3.2.

CVE-2018-1000822 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-1000822
GHSA Identifier GHSA-77hp-pfxw-4w63
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 10.0
CWE Classification CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference
Affected Product Fess
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 10.0

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:C/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 Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2018-1000822

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Fess 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.codelibs.fess:fess fixed: 12.3.2 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.codelibs.fess</groupId>
    <artifactId>fess</artifactId>
    <version>12.3.2</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=org.codelibs.fess

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2018-1000822, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.codelibs.fess

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Fess in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 12.3.2), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.codelibs.fess 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 Fess, 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

codelibs fess version before commit faa265b contains a XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in GSA XML file parser that can result in Disclosure of confidential data, denial of service, SSRF, port scanning. This attack appear to be exploitable via specially crafted GSA XML files. This vulnerability appears to have been fixed in after commit faa265b.

CVE-2018-1000822 Affected Fess Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
12.3.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.codelibs.fess:fess
maven/org.codelibs.fess/fess
Maven
< 12.3.2
12.3.2

References

NVD — CVE-2018-1000822 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-1000822
Fess Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/codelibs/fess/issues/1851
0dd.zone/2018/10/27/fess-xxe WEB
https://0dd.zone/2018/10/27/fess-XXE
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-77hp-pfxw-4w63
Fess Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/codelibs/fess

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-1000822?
CVE-2018-1000822 is a security vulnerability in Fess involving XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in codelibs fess under CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference.
Which Fess versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 12.3.2 across affected packages: org.codelibs.fess:fess.
What version fixes CVE-2018-1000822?
Upgrading to 12.3.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is fess affected?
Yes, org.codelibs.fess:fess is affected in releases prior to 12.3.2. Upgrade your dependency to 12.3.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-1000822?
CVE-2018-1000822 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 10.0 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-1000822?
CVE-2018-1000822 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-2018-1000822?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.codelibs.fess'. 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-77hp-pfxw-4w63",
  "modified" : "2022-09-14T22:20:53Z",
  "published" : "2018-12-20T22:02:09Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-1000822" ],
  "summary" : "XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in codelibs fess",
  "details" : "codelibs fess version before commit faa265b contains a XML External Entity (XXE) vulnerability in GSA XML file parser that can result in Disclosure of confidential data, denial of service, SSRF, port scanning. This attack appear to be exploitable via specially crafted GSA XML files. This vulnerability appears to have been fixed in after commit faa265b.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.codelibs.fess:fess"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "12.3.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-1000822"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/codelibs/fess/issues/1851"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://0dd.zone/2018/10/27/fess-XXE"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-77hp-pfxw-4w63"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/codelibs/fess"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-611" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:21:51Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}