CVE-2019-20457: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-cp74-46v8-qrjr
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CVSS 9.1
CWE-276
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2019-20457 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.1) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when during installation, installed file permissions are set to allow anyone to modify those files.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2019-20457 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2019-20457
GHSA Identifier GHSA-cp74-46v8-qrjr
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.1
CWE Classification CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.1

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:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2019-20457

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-2019-20457, 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-276: Incorrect Default Permissions, where during installation, installed file permissions are set to allow anyone to modify those files. 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

An issue was discovered on Brother MFC-J491DW C1806180757 devices. The printer's web-interface password hash can be retrieved without authentication, because the response header of any failed login attempt returns an incomplete authorization cookie. The value of the authorization cookie is the MD5 hash of the password in hexadecimal. An attacker can easily derive the true MD5 hash from this, and use offline cracking attacks to obtain administrative access to the device.

References

NVD — CVE-2019-20457 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-20457
global.brother WEB
https://global.brother
seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024... WEB
https://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Jul/14
Software Security Information SECURITY
https://support.brother.com/g/s/security/en/index.html
seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024... WEB
http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Jul/14

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2019-20457?
CVE-2019-20457 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2019-20457?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-20457?
CVE-2019-20457 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-20457?
CVE-2019-20457 is classified under CWE-276: Incorrect Default Permissions (During installation, installed file permissions are set to allow anyone to modify those files.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2019-20457?
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-cp74-46v8-qrjr",
  "modified" : "2025-11-04T18:31:30Z",
  "published" : "2024-11-07T18:31:24Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-20457" ],
  "details" : "An issue was discovered on Brother MFC-J491DW C1806180757 devices. The printer's web-interface password hash can be retrieved without authentication, because the response header of any failed login attempt returns an incomplete authorization cookie. The value of the authorization cookie is the MD5 hash of the password in hexadecimal. An attacker can easily derive the true MD5 hash from this, and use offline cracking attacks to obtain administrative access to the device.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-20457"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://global.brother"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Jul/14"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://support.brother.com/g/s/security/en/index.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Jul/14"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-276" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2024-11-07T18:15:15Z"
  }
}