CVE-2018-7159: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-87vg-5pwm-8x6w
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CVSS 5.3
CWE-115 CWE-20
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-7159 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.3) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-115: Misinterpretation of Input) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product misinterprets an input, whether from an attacker or another product, in a security-relevant fashion.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2018-7159 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-7159
GHSA Identifier GHSA-87vg-5pwm-8x6w
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.3
CWE Classification CWE-115: Misinterpretation of Input
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.3

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:L/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 Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2018-7159

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

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

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2018-7159, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

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

Note: The mvn dependency:tree 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-115: Misinterpretation of Input, where the product misinterprets an input, whether from an attacker or another product, in a security-relevant fashion. In Software, 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

The HTTP parser in all current versions of Node.js ignores spaces in the `Content-Length` header, allowing input such as `Content-Length: 1 2` to be interpreted as having a value of `12`. The HTTP specification does not allow for spaces in the `Content-Length` value and the Node.js HTTP parser has been brought into line on this particular difference. The security risk of this flaw to Node.js users is considered to be VERY LOW as it is difficult, and may be impossible, to craft an attack that makes use of this flaw in a way that could not already be achieved by supplying an incorrect value for `Content-Length`. Vulnerabilities may exist in user-code that make incorrect assumptions about the potential accuracy of this value compared to the actual length of the data supplied. Node.js users crafting lower-level HTTP utilities are advised to re-check the length of any input supplied after parsing is complete.

References

NVD — CVE-2018-7159 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-7159
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2019:22... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:2258
Software Release RELEASE
https://nodejs.org/en/blog/vulnerability/march-2018-security-releases
support.f5.com/csp/article/k272281... WEB
https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K27228191?utm_source=f5support&amp%3Butm_medium=RSS
support.f5.com/csp/article/k272281... WEB
https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K27228191?utm_source=f5support&utm_medium=RSS

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-7159?
CVE-2018-7159 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-115: Misinterpretation of Input.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2018-7159?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-7159?
CVE-2018-7159 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-7159?
CVE-2018-7159 is classified under CWE-115: Misinterpretation of Input (The product misinterprets an input, whether from an attacker or another product, in a security-relevant fashion.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2018-7159?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. 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-87vg-5pwm-8x6w",
  "modified" : "2026-10-09T00:30:57Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:28:29Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-7159" ],
  "details" : "The HTTP parser in all current versions of Node.js ignores spaces in the `Content-Length` header, allowing input such as `Content-Length: 1 2` to be interpreted as having a value of `12`. The HTTP specification does not allow for spaces in the `Content-Length` value and the Node.js HTTP parser has been brought into line on this particular difference. The security risk of this flaw to Node.js users is considered to be VERY LOW as it is difficult, and may be impossible, to craft an attack that makes use of this flaw in a way that could not already be achieved by supplying an incorrect value for `Content-Length`. Vulnerabilities may exist in user-code that make incorrect assumptions about the potential accuracy of this value compared to the actual length of the data supplied. Node.js users crafting lower-level HTTP utilities are advised to re-check the length of any input supplied after parsing is complete.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-7159"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:2258"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://nodejs.org/en/blog/vulnerability/march-2018-security-releases"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K27228191?utm_source=f5support&amp%3Butm_medium=RSS"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://support.f5.com/csp/article/K27228191?utm_source=f5support&utm_medium=RSS"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-115", "CWE-20" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-05-17T14:29:00Z"
  }
}