CVE-2018-12540: Vertx web Vertx-web Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-rvgg-f8qm-6h7j
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CWE-352
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-12540 is a HIGH vertx-web vulnerability (CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)) affecting Vertx web libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves vertx-web. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.5.3.

CVE-2018-12540 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-12540
GHSA Identifier GHSA-rvgg-f8qm-6h7j
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
Affected Product Vertx web
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2018-12540

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

io.vertx:vertx-web fixed: 3.5.3 
<dependency>
    <groupId>io.vertx</groupId>
    <artifactId>vertx-web</artifactId>
    <version>3.5.3</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=io.vertx

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2018-12540, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=io.vertx

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Vertx web in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.5.3), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=io.vertx 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-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF), where the web application does not, or cannot, sufficiently verify whether a request was intentionally provided by the user who sent the request, which could have originated from an unauthorized actor. In Vertx web, 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 version from 3.0.0 to 3.5.2 of Eclipse Vert.x, the CSRFHandler do not assert that the XSRF Cookie matches the returned XSRF header/form parameter. This allows replay attacks with previously issued tokens which are not expired yet.

CVE-2018-12540 Affected Vertx web Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.5.3
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
io.vertx:vertx-web
maven/io.vertx/vertx-web
Maven
≥ 3.0.0
< 3.5.3
3.5.3

References

NVD — CVE-2018-12540 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-12540
Vertx web Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/vert-x3/vertx-web/issues/970
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/vert-x3/vertx-web/commit/f42b193b15a29b772fc576b2d0f2497e7474a7e
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:23... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2371
bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=536948
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-rvgg-f8qm-6h7j
Vertx web Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/vert-x3/vertx-web
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r10aef5... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r10aef585c521f8ef603f5831f9d97a27d920624025131da950e0c62f@%3Ccommits.pulsar.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r3fffda... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r3fffda8e947edaa359152c8dc4c4ea9c96fd8ced1999bbce92bc6b25@%3Ccommits.pulsar.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r59482e... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r59482ebed302aa49ac7e0c51737499746b0d086fcdeb8f90e705951f@%3Ccommits.pulsar.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rc5b4ae... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rc5b4ae8a7caae6d3d5b3266cb050823b96dd62b30718b90b778d3d8b@%3Ccommits.pulsar.apache.org%3E

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-12540?
CVE-2018-12540 is a security vulnerability in Vertx web involving vertx-web under CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF).
Which Vertx web versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.5.3 across affected packages: io.vertx:vertx-web.
What version fixes CVE-2018-12540?
Upgrading to 3.5.3 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is vertx-web affected?
Yes, io.vertx:vertx-web is affected in releases prior to 3.5.3. Upgrade your dependency to 3.5.3 or later.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-12540?
CVE-2018-12540 is classified under CWE-352: Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) (The web application does not, or cannot, sufficiently verify whether a request was intentionally provided by the user who sent the request, which could have originated from an unauthorized actor.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2018-12540?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=io.vertx'. 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-rvgg-f8qm-6h7j",
  "modified" : "2024-04-12T21:17:45Z",
  "published" : "2018-10-17T16:19:43Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-12540" ],
  "summary" : "High severity vulnerability that affects io.vertx:vertx-web",
  "details" : "In version from 3.0.0 to 3.5.2 of Eclipse Vert.x, the CSRFHandler do not assert that the XSRF Cookie matches the returned XSRF header/form parameter. This allows replay attacks with previously issued tokens which are not expired yet.",
  "severity" : [ ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "io.vertx:vertx-web"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.5.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-12540"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
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  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/vert-x3/vertx-web/commit/f42b193b15a29b772fc576b2d0f2497e7474a7e"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2371"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=536948"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-rvgg-f8qm-6h7j"
  }, {
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  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r10aef585c521f8ef603f5831f9d97a27d920624025131da950e0c62f@%3Ccommits.pulsar.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r3fffda8e947edaa359152c8dc4c4ea9c96fd8ced1999bbce92bc6b25@%3Ccommits.pulsar.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r59482ebed302aa49ac7e0c51737499746b0d086fcdeb8f90e705951f@%3Ccommits.pulsar.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rc5b4ae8a7caae6d3d5b3266cb050823b96dd62b30718b90b778d3d8b@%3Ccommits.pulsar.apache.org%3E"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-352" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:55:57Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}