CVE-2018-12545: Jetty server Jetty-server Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-h2f4-v4c4-6wx4
CVSS 7.5
CWE-400
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-12545 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) jetty-server vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting Jetty server libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves jetty-server. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 9.4.12.v20180830, 9.3.25.v20180904.

CVE-2018-12545 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-12545
GHSA Identifier GHSA-h2f4-v4c4-6wx4
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product Jetty server
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

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:N/I:N/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 None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2018-12545

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Jetty server 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.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server fixed: 9.4.12.v20180830
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.eclipse.jetty</groupId>
    <artifactId>jetty-server</artifactId>
    <version>9.4.12.v20180830</version>
</dependency>
org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server fixed: 9.3.25.v20180904
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.eclipse.jetty</groupId>
    <artifactId>jetty-server</artifactId>
    <version>9.3.25.v20180904</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.eclipse.jetty

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2018-12545, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.eclipse.jetty

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Jetty server in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 9.4.12.v20180830), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.eclipse.jetty 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-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, where the product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource. In Jetty server, 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 Eclipse Jetty version 9.3.x and 9.4.x, the server is vulnerable to Denial of Service conditions if a remote client sends either large SETTINGs frames container containing many settings, or many small SETTINGs frames. The vulnerability is due to the additional CPU and memory allocations required to handle changed settings.

CVE-2018-12545 Affected Jetty server Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
9.4.12.v201808309.3.25.v20180904
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server
Maven
≥ 9.4.0
< 9.4.12.v20180830
9.4.12.v20180830
org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server
Maven
≥ 9.3.0
< 9.3.25.v20180904
9.3.25.v20180904

References

NVD — CVE-2018-12545 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-12545
bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=538096
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-h2f4-v4c4-6wx4
lists.apache.org/thread.html/13f5241... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/13f5241048ec0bf966a6ddd306feaf40de5b20e1f09096b9cddeddf2@%3Ccommits.accumulo.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/70744fe... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/70744fe4faba8e2fa7e50a7fc794dd03cb28dad8b21e08ee59bb1606@%3Cdevnull.infra.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/9317fd0... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/9317fd092b257a0815434b116a8af8daea6e920b6673f4fd5583d5fe@%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/febc94f... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/febc94ffec9275dcda64633e0276a1400cd318e571009e4cda9b7a79@%3Cnotifications.accumulo.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/ff8dcfe... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ff8dcfe29377088ab655fda9d585dccd5b1f07fabd94ae84fd60a7f8@%3Ccommits.pulsar.apache.org%3E
lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/packa... WEB
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/CIS4LALKZNLF5X5IGNGRSKERG7FY4QG6
Jetty server Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2020.html
Jetty server Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpuoct2019-5072832.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-12545?
CVE-2018-12545 is a security vulnerability in Jetty server involving jetty-server under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which Jetty server versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 9.4.12.v20180830, 9.3.25.v20180904 across affected packages: org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server.
What version fixes CVE-2018-12545?
Upgrading to 9.4.12.v20180830, 9.3.25.v20180904 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is jetty-server affected?
Yes, org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server is affected in releases prior to 9.4.12.v20180830, 9.3.25.v20180904. Upgrade your dependency to 9.4.12.v20180830, 9.3.25.v20180904 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-12545?
CVE-2018-12545 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-12545?
CVE-2018-12545 is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2018-12545?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.eclipse.jetty'. 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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-h2f4-v4c4-6wx4",
  "modified" : "2026-03-30T19:35:20Z",
  "published" : "2019-03-28T18:33:38Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-12545" ],
  "summary" : "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption in org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server",
  "details" : "In Eclipse Jetty version 9.3.x and 9.4.x, the server is vulnerable to Denial of Service conditions if a remote client sends either large SETTINGs frames container containing many settings, or many small SETTINGs frames. The vulnerability is due to the additional CPU and memory allocations required to handle changed settings.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "9.4.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "9.4.12.v20180830"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 9.4.12.RC2"
    }
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "9.3.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "9.3.25.v20180904"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 9.3.24.v20180605"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-12545"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=538096"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-h2f4-v4c4-6wx4"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/13f5241048ec0bf966a6ddd306feaf40de5b20e1f09096b9cddeddf2@%3Ccommits.accumulo.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/70744fe4faba8e2fa7e50a7fc794dd03cb28dad8b21e08ee59bb1606@%3Cdevnull.infra.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/9317fd092b257a0815434b116a8af8daea6e920b6673f4fd5583d5fe@%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/febc94ffec9275dcda64633e0276a1400cd318e571009e4cda9b7a79@%3Cnotifications.accumulo.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ff8dcfe29377088ab655fda9d585dccd5b1f07fabd94ae84fd60a7f8@%3Ccommits.pulsar.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/CIS4LALKZNLF5X5IGNGRSKERG7FY4QG6"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2020.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpuoct2019-5072832.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-400" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:38:26Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}