CVE-2019-10173: Xstream Deserialization Of Untrusted Data And Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-hf23-9pf7-388p
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-502 CWE-94
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-10173 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) deserialization of untrusted data and vulnerability (CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data) affecting Xstream libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves deserialization of untrusted data and code injection in xstream. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.4.11.

CVE-2019-10173 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-10173
GHSA Identifier GHSA-hf23-9pf7-388p
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data
Affected Product Xstream
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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:H/I:H/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 High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2019-10173

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Xstream 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.thoughtworks.xstream:xstream fixed: 1.4.11 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.thoughtworks.xstream</groupId>
    <artifactId>xstream</artifactId>
    <version>1.4.11</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.thoughtworks.xstream

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2019-10173, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.thoughtworks.xstream

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Xstream in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.4.11), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.thoughtworks.xstream 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-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data, where the product deserializes untrusted data without sufficiently ensuring that the resulting data will be valid. In Xstream, 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

It was found that xstream API version 1.4.10 before 1.4.11 introduced a regression for a previous deserialization flaw. If the security framework has not been initialized, it may allow a remote attacker to run arbitrary shell commands when unmarshalling XML or any supported format. e.g. JSON. (regression of CVE-2013-7285)

CVE-2019-10173 Affected Xstream Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.4.11
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
com.thoughtworks.xstream:xstream
maven/com.thoughtworks.xstream/xstream
Maven
≥ 1.4.10
< 1.4.11
All 1 versions
1.4.10
1.4.11

References

NVD — CVE-2019-10173 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-10173
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2019:38... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:3892
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2019:43... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:4352
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2020:04... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0445
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2020:07... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0727
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2019-10173
Xstream Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/x-stream/xstream
Xstream Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html
Xstream Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuApr2021.html
Xstream Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2020.html
Xstream Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2021.html
Xstream Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2020.html
x-stream.github.io/changes.html WEB
http://x-stream.github.io/changes.html#1.4.11

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-10173?
CVE-2019-10173 is a security vulnerability in Xstream involving Deserialization of Untrusted Data and Code Injection in xstream under CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data.
Which Xstream versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.4.11 across affected packages: com.thoughtworks.xstream:xstream.
What version fixes CVE-2019-10173?
Upgrading to 1.4.11 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is xstream affected?
Yes, com.thoughtworks.xstream:xstream is affected in releases prior to 1.4.11. Upgrade your dependency to 1.4.11 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-10173?
CVE-2019-10173 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-10173?
CVE-2019-10173 is classified under CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data (The product deserializes untrusted data without sufficiently ensuring that the resulting data will be valid.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2019-10173?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.thoughtworks.xstream'. 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-hf23-9pf7-388p",
  "modified" : "2026-02-24T15:32:32Z",
  "published" : "2019-07-26T16:09:47Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-10173" ],
  "summary" : "Deserialization of Untrusted Data and Code Injection in xstream",
  "details" : "It was found that xstream API version 1.4.10 before 1.4.11 introduced a regression for a previous deserialization flaw. If the security framework has not been initialized, it may allow a remote attacker to run arbitrary shell commands when unmarshalling XML or any supported format. e.g. JSON. (regression of CVE-2013-7285)",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.thoughtworks.xstream:xstream"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.4.10"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.4.11"
      } ]
    } ],
    "versions" : [ "1.4.10" ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-10173"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:3892"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:4352"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0445"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0727"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2019-10173"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/x-stream/xstream"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuApr2021.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2020.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2021.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2020.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://x-stream.github.io/changes.html#1.4.11"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-502", "CWE-94" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2019-07-25T10:11:50Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2019-07-23T13:15:00Z"
  }
}