CVE-2019-17632: Jetty server Unescaped Exception Messages Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-5h9j-q6j2-253f
CVSS 6.1
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-17632 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.1) unescaped exception messages vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Jetty server libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves unescaped exception messages in error responses in jetty. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 9.4.24.v20191120.

CVE-2019-17632 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-17632
GHSA Identifier GHSA-5h9j-q6j2-253f
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.1
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Jetty server
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.1

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:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2019-17632

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Jetty server 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.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server fixed: 9.4.24.v20191120
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.eclipse.jetty</groupId>
    <artifactId>jetty-server</artifactId>
    <version>9.4.24.v20191120</version>
</dependency>
org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server fixed: 9.4.24.v20191120
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.eclipse.jetty</groupId>
    <artifactId>jetty-server</artifactId>
    <version>9.4.24.v20191120</version>
</dependency>
org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server fixed: 9.4.24.v20191120
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.eclipse.jetty</groupId>
    <artifactId>jetty-server</artifactId>
    <version>9.4.24.v20191120</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.eclipse.jetty

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2019-17632, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.eclipse.jetty

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Jetty server in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 9.4.24.v20191120), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.eclipse.jetty 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-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'), where the product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users. In Jetty server, 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 Eclipse Jetty versions 9.4.21.v20190926, 9.4.22.v20191022, and 9.4.23.v20191118, the generation of default unhandled Error response content (in text/html and text/json Content-Type) does not escape Exception messages in stacktraces included in error output.

CVE-2019-17632 Affected Jetty server Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
9.4.24.v20191120
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server
Maven
≥ 9.4.21.v20190926
< 9.4.24.v20191120
All 1 versions
9.4.21.v20190926
9.4.24.v20191120
org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server
Maven
≥ 9.4.22.v20191022
< 9.4.24.v20191120
All 1 versions
9.4.22.v20191022
9.4.24.v20191120
org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server
Maven
≥ 9.4.23.v20191118
< 9.4.24.v20191120
All 1 versions
9.4.23.v20191118
9.4.24.v20191120

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-17632?
CVE-2019-17632 is a security vulnerability in Jetty server involving Unescaped exception messages in error responses in Jetty under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Jetty server versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 9.4.24.v20191120 across affected packages: org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server.
What version fixes CVE-2019-17632?
Upgrading to 9.4.24.v20191120 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is jetty-server affected?
Yes, org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server is affected in releases prior to 9.4.24.v20191120. Upgrade your dependency to 9.4.24.v20191120 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-17632?
CVE-2019-17632 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.1 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-17632?
CVE-2019-17632 is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') (The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2019-17632?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.eclipse.jetty'. 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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-5h9j-q6j2-253f",
  "modified" : "2021-06-15T17:23:03Z",
  "published" : "2019-12-02T18:13:28Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-17632" ],
  "summary" : "Unescaped exception messages in error responses in Jetty",
  "details" : "In Eclipse Jetty versions 9.4.21.v20190926, 9.4.22.v20191022, and 9.4.23.v20191118, the generation of default unhandled Error response content (in text/html and text/json Content-Type) does not escape Exception messages in stacktraces included in error output.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "9.4.21.v20190926"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "9.4.24.v20191120"
      } ]
    } ],
    "versions" : [ "9.4.21.v20190926" ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "9.4.22.v20191022"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "9.4.24.v20191120"
      } ]
    } ],
    "versions" : [ "9.4.22.v20191022" ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.eclipse.jetty:jetty-server"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "9.4.23.v20191118"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "9.4.24.v20191120"
      } ]
    } ],
    "versions" : [ "9.4.23.v20191118" ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-17632"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=553443"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/SAITZ27GKPD2CCNHGT2VBT4VWIBUJJNS"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuApr2021.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2020.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2019-12-02T01:09:14Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2019-11-25T22:15:00Z"
  }
}