CVE-2020-11977: Syncope Shell Command Injection Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-p2rp-cmjq-r7wm
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CVSS 7.2
CWE-78
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-11977 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.2) shell command injection vulnerability (CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')) affecting Syncope libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves shell command injection in apache syncope. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.1.7.

CVE-2020-11977 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-11977
GHSA Identifier GHSA-p2rp-cmjq-r7wm
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.2
CWE Classification CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection')
Affected Product Syncope
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.2

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required High (PR:H)
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-2020-11977

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Syncope 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.apache.syncope:syncope fixed: 2.1.7 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.syncope</groupId>
    <artifactId>syncope</artifactId>
    <version>2.1.7</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.apache.syncope

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-11977, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.syncope

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Syncope in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.1.7), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.syncope 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-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of an os command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended os command when it is sent to a downstream component. In Syncope, 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 Apache Syncope 2.1.X releases prior to 2.1.7, when the Flowable extension is enabled, an administrator with workflow entitlements can use Shell Service Tasks to perform malicious operations, including but not limited to file read, file write, and code execution.

CVE-2020-11977 Affected Syncope Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.1.7
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.syncope:syncope
maven/org.apache.syncope/syncope
Maven
≥ 2.1.0
< 2.1.7
2.1.7

References

NVD — CVE-2020-11977 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-11977
Syncope Security Information SECURITY
https://syncope.apache.org/security#CVE-2020-11977:_Remote_Code_Execution_via_Flowable_workflow_definition

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-11977?
CVE-2020-11977 is a security vulnerability in Syncope involving Shell command injection in Apache Syncope under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection').
Which Syncope versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.1.7 across affected packages: org.apache.syncope:syncope.
What version fixes CVE-2020-11977?
Upgrading to 2.1.7 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is syncope affected?
Yes, org.apache.syncope:syncope is affected in releases prior to 2.1.7. Upgrade your dependency to 2.1.7 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-11977?
CVE-2020-11977 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.2 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-11977?
CVE-2020-11977 is classified under CWE-78: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command ('OS Command Injection') (The product constructs all or part of an OS command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended OS command when it is sent to a downstream component.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-11977?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.syncope'. 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-p2rp-cmjq-r7wm",
  "modified" : "2021-05-04T20:57:28Z",
  "published" : "2021-06-16T17:19:12Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-11977" ],
  "summary" : "Shell command injection in Apache Syncope",
  "details" : "In Apache Syncope 2.1.X releases prior to 2.1.7, when the Flowable extension is enabled, an administrator with workflow entitlements can use Shell Service Tasks to perform malicious operations, including but not limited to file read, file write, and code execution.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.syncope:syncope"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.1.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.1.7"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-11977"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://syncope.apache.org/security#CVE-2020-11977:_Remote_Code_Execution_via_Flowable_workflow_definition"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-78" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-05-04T20:57:28Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-09-15T20:15:00Z"
  }
}