CVE-2018-9159: Spark core Spark-core Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-76qr-mmh8-cp8f
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CVSS 5.3
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-9159 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.3) spark-core vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Spark core libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves spark-core. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.7.2.

CVE-2018-9159 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-9159
GHSA Identifier GHSA-76qr-mmh8-cp8f
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.3
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Spark core
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:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/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 Low (C:L)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2018-9159

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

com.sparkjava:spark-core fixed: 2.7.2 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.sparkjava</groupId>
    <artifactId>spark-core</artifactId>
    <version>2.7.2</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=com.sparkjava

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2018-9159, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.sparkjava

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Spark core in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.7.2), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.sparkjava 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-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal'), where the product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory. In Spark core, 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 Spark before 2.7.2, a remote attacker can read unintended static files via various representations of absolute or relative pathnames, as demonstrated by file: URLs and directory traversal sequences. NOTE: this product is unrelated to Ignite Realtime Spark.

CVE-2018-9159 Affected Spark core Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.7.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
com.sparkjava:spark-core
maven/com.sparkjava/spark-core
Maven
< 2.7.2
2.7.2

References

NVD — CVE-2018-9159 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-9159
Spark core Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/perwendel/spark/issues/981
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/perwendel/spark/commit/030e9d00125cbd1ad759668f85488aba1019c668
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:20... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2020
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/perwendel/spark/commit/a221a864db28eb736d36041df2fa6eb8839fc5cd
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/perwendel/spark/commit/ce9e11517eca69e58ed4378d1e47a02bd06863cc
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:24... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2405
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-76qr-mmh8-cp8f
Spark core Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/perwendel/spark
sparkjava.com/news WEB
http://sparkjava.com/news#spark-272-released

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-9159?
CVE-2018-9159 is a security vulnerability in Spark core involving spark-core under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Spark core versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.7.2 across affected packages: com.sparkjava:spark-core.
What version fixes CVE-2018-9159?
Upgrading to 2.7.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is spark-core affected?
Yes, com.sparkjava:spark-core is affected in releases prior to 2.7.2. Upgrade your dependency to 2.7.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-9159?
CVE-2018-9159 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-9159?
CVE-2018-9159 is classified under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal') (The product uses external input to construct a pathname that is intended to identify a file or directory that is located underneath a restricted parent directory, but the product does not properly neutralize special elements within the pathname that can cause the pathname to resolve to a location that is outside of the restricted directory.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2018-9159?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.sparkjava'. 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-76qr-mmh8-cp8f",
  "modified" : "2021-09-02T19:24:32Z",
  "published" : "2018-10-19T16:56:00Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-9159" ],
  "summary" : "Moderate severity vulnerability that affects com.sparkjava:spark-core",
  "details" : "In Spark before 2.7.2, a remote attacker can read unintended static files via various representations of absolute or relative pathnames, as demonstrated by file: URLs and directory traversal sequences. NOTE: this product is unrelated to Ignite Realtime Spark.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.sparkjava:spark-core"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.7.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-9159"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/perwendel/spark/issues/981"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/perwendel/spark/commit/030e9d00125cbd1ad759668f85488aba1019c668"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/perwendel/spark/commit/a221a864db28eb736d36041df2fa6eb8839fc5cd"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/perwendel/spark/commit/ce9e11517eca69e58ed4378d1e47a02bd06863cc"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2020"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2405"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-76qr-mmh8-cp8f"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/perwendel/spark"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://sparkjava.com/news#spark-272-released"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:21:39Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}