CVE-2018-1294: Commons email Improper Input Validation Apache Commons Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-v7cm-w955-pj6g
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-20
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-1294 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) improper input validation apache commons vulnerability (CWE-20: Improper Input Validation) affecting Commons email libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves improper input validation apache commons email. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.5.

CVE-2018-1294 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-1294
GHSA Identifier GHSA-v7cm-w955-pj6g
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-20: Improper Input Validation
Affected Product Commons email
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:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N).

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 High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2018-1294

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Commons email 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.commons:commons-email fixed: 1.5 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.commons</groupId>
    <artifactId>commons-email</artifactId>
    <version>1.5</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.commons

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2018-1294, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

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

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Commons email in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.5), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.commons 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-20: Improper Input Validation, where the product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly. In Commons email, 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

If a user of Apache Commons Email (typically an application programmer) passes unvalidated input as the so-called "Bounce Address", and that input contains line-breaks, then the email details (recipients, contents, etc.) might be manipulated. Mitigation: Users should upgrade to Commons-Email 1.5. You can mitigate this vulnerability for older versions of Commons Email by stripping line-breaks from data, that will be passed to Email.setBounceAddress(String).

CVE-2018-1294 Affected Commons email Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.5
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.commons:commons-email
maven/org.apache.commons/commons-email
Maven
< 1.5
1.5

References

NVD — CVE-2018-1294 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-1294
seclists.org/oss-sec/2018/q1/107 WEB
http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2018/q1/107

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-1294?
CVE-2018-1294 is a security vulnerability in Commons email involving Improper Input Validation Apache Commons Email under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation.
Which Commons email versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.5 across affected packages: org.apache.commons:commons-email.
What version fixes CVE-2018-1294?
Upgrading to 1.5 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is commons-email affected?
Yes, org.apache.commons:commons-email is affected in releases prior to 1.5. Upgrade your dependency to 1.5 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-1294?
CVE-2018-1294 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-1294?
CVE-2018-1294 is classified under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation (The product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2018-1294?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.commons'. 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-v7cm-w955-pj6g",
  "modified" : "2022-06-29T19:30:06Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-14T01:28:26Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-1294" ],
  "summary" : "Improper Input Validation Apache Commons Email",
  "details" : "If a user of Apache Commons Email (typically an application programmer) passes unvalidated input as the so-called \"Bounce Address\", and that input contains line-breaks, then the email details (recipients, contents, etc.) might be manipulated. Mitigation: Users should upgrade to Commons-Email 1.5. You can mitigate this vulnerability for older versions of Commons Email by stripping line-breaks from data, that will be passed to Email.setBounceAddress(String).",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.commons:commons-email"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-1294"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2018/q1/107"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-06-29T19:30:06Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-03-20T17:29:00Z"
  }
}