CVE-2020-13941: Solr parent Improper Input Validation Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-2467-h365-j7hm
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CVSS 8.8
CWE-20
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-13941 is a MODERATE (CVSS 8.8) improper input validation vulnerability (CWE-20: Improper Input Validation) affecting Solr parent libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves improper input validation in apache solr. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 8.6.0.

CVE-2020-13941 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-13941
GHSA Identifier GHSA-2467-h365-j7hm
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.8
CWE Classification CWE-20: Improper Input Validation
Affected Product Solr parent
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.8

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
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-2020-13941

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Solr parent 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.solr:solr-parent fixed: 8.6.0 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.solr</groupId>
    <artifactId>solr-parent</artifactId>
    <version>8.6.0</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.solr

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-13941, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

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

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Solr parent in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 8.6.0), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.solr 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-20: Improper Input Validation, where the product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly. In Solr parent, 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

Reported in SOLR-14515 (private) and fixed in SOLR-14561 (public), released in Solr version 8.6.0. The Replication handler (https://lucene.apache.org/solr/guide/8_6/index-replication.html#http-api-commands-for-the-replicationhandler) allows commands backup, restore and deleteBackup. Each of these take a location parameter, which was not validated, i.e you could read/write to any location the solr user can access.

CVE-2020-13941 Affected Solr parent Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
8.6.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.solr:solr-parent
maven/org.apache.solr/solr-parent
Maven
< 8.6.0
8.6.0

References

NVD — CVE-2020-13941 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-13941
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r1d4a24... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r1d4a247329a8478073163567bbc8c8cb6b49c6bfc2bf58153a857af1@%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rbcd9df... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rbcd9dff009ed19ffcc2b09784595fc1098fc802a5472f81795f893be@%3Ccommits.lucene.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rc400db... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rc400db37710ee79378b6c52de3640493ff538c2beb41cefdbbdf2ab8@%3Ccommits.submarine.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf54e79... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf54e7912b7d2b72c63ec54a7afa4adcbf16268dcc63253767dd67d60%40%3Cgeneral.lucene.apache.org%3E

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-13941?
CVE-2020-13941 is a security vulnerability in Solr parent involving Improper Input Validation in Apache Solr under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation.
Which Solr parent versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 8.6.0 across affected packages: org.apache.solr:solr-parent.
What version fixes CVE-2020-13941?
Upgrading to 8.6.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is solr-parent affected?
Yes, org.apache.solr:solr-parent is affected in releases prior to 8.6.0. Upgrade your dependency to 8.6.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-13941?
CVE-2020-13941 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-13941?
CVE-2020-13941 is classified under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation (The product receives input or data, but it does not validate or incorrectly validates that the input has the properties that are required to process the data safely and correctly.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-13941?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.solr'. 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-2467-h365-j7hm",
  "modified" : "2021-04-14T18:01:06Z",
  "published" : "2022-02-10T00:31:31Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-13941" ],
  "summary" : "Improper Input Validation in Apache Solr",
  "details" : "Reported in SOLR-14515 (private) and fixed in SOLR-14561 (public), released in Solr version 8.6.0. The Replication handler (https://lucene.apache.org/solr/guide/8_6/index-replication.html#http-api-commands-for-the-replicationhandler) allows commands backup, restore and deleteBackup. Each of these take a location parameter, which was not validated, i.e you could read/write to any location the solr user can access.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.solr:solr-parent"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "8.6.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-13941"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r1d4a247329a8478073163567bbc8c8cb6b49c6bfc2bf58153a857af1@%3Ccommits.druid.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rbcd9dff009ed19ffcc2b09784595fc1098fc802a5472f81795f893be@%3Ccommits.lucene.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rc400db37710ee79378b6c52de3640493ff538c2beb41cefdbbdf2ab8@%3Ccommits.submarine.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rf54e7912b7d2b72c63ec54a7afa4adcbf16268dcc63253767dd67d60%40%3Cgeneral.lucene.apache.org%3E"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-04-14T18:01:06Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-08-17T13:15:00Z"
  }
}