CVE-2019-15630: Mule Path Traversal Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-mwh9-gr45-xvv4
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CVSS 7.5
CWE-22
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-15630 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) path traversal vulnerability (CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')) affecting Mule libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves mule modules contain directory traversal. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2019-15630 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-15630
GHSA Identifier GHSA-mwh9-gr45-xvv4
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal')
Affected Product Mule
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:H/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 High (C:H)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2019-15630

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Mule 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.mule.runtime:mule fixed: Latest secure release 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.mule.runtime</groupId>
    <artifactId>mule</artifactId>
    <version>Latest secure release</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.mule.runtime

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2019-15630, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.mule.runtime

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Mule 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 -Dincludes=org.mule.runtime 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 Mule, 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

Directory Traversal in APIkit, http-connector, and OAuth2 Provider modules in Mulesoft 3.x, 4.x and Mulesoft API Gateway (all versions) released before August 1, 2019 allow remote attackers to read files accessible to the Mule process.

CVE-2019-15630 Affected Mule Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.mule.runtime:mule
maven/org.mule.runtime/mule
Maven
≥ 3.0.0
≤ 4.1.5

References

NVD — CVE-2019-15630 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-15630
Mule Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mulesoft/mule
Mule Security Information SECURITY
https://help.mulesoft.com/s/article/Directory-traversal-vulnerability-affecting-runtimes-of-MuleSoft-customers-running-certain-use-cases-of-Mule-flows-and-API-Gateways

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-15630?
CVE-2019-15630 is a security vulnerability in Mule involving Mule modules contain Directory Traversal under CWE-22: Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory ('Path Traversal').
Which Mule versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: org.mule.runtime:mule.
What version fixes CVE-2019-15630?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is mule affected?
Yes, org.mule.runtime:mule is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-15630?
CVE-2019-15630 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:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-15630?
CVE-2019-15630 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-2019-15630?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.mule.runtime'. 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-mwh9-gr45-xvv4",
  "modified" : "2023-09-25T19:47:00Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T16:55:15Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-15630" ],
  "summary" : "Mule modules contain Directory Traversal",
  "details" : "Directory Traversal in APIkit, http-connector, and OAuth2 Provider modules in Mulesoft 3.x, 4.x and Mulesoft API Gateway (all versions) released before August 1, 2019 allow remote attackers to read files accessible to the Mule process.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.mule.runtime:mule"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.0.0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "4.1.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-15630"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mulesoft/mule"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://help.mulesoft.com/s/article/Directory-traversal-vulnerability-affecting-runtimes-of-MuleSoft-customers-running-certain-use-cases-of-Mule-flows-and-API-Gateways"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-22" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-07-17T23:35:58Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2019-08-30T17:15:00Z"
  }
}