CVE-2020-28923: Play Data Amplification Vulnerability

LOW
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-v9mf-jgq3-c28h
Share
CVSS 2.7
CWE-20
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-28923 is a LOW (CVSS 2.7) data amplification vulnerability (CWE-20: Improper Input Validation) affecting Play libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves data amplification in play framework. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.8.5.

CVE-2020-28923 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-28923
GHSA Identifier GHSA-v9mf-jgq3-c28h
Severity LOW
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 2.7
CWE Classification CWE-20: Improper Input Validation
Affected Product Play
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 2.7

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:L/I:N/A:N).

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 Low (C:L)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2020-28923

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Play dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

com.typesafe.play:play fixed: 2.8.5 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.typesafe.play</groupId>
    <artifactId>play</artifactId>
    <version>2.8.5</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=com.typesafe.play

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-28923, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.typesafe.play

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Play in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.8.5), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.typesafe.play 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 Play, 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 in Play Framework 2.8.0 through 2.8.4. Carefully crafted JSON payloads sent as a form field lead to Data Amplification. This affects users migrating from a Play version prior to 2.8.0 that used the Play Java API to serialize classes with protected or private fields to JSON.

CVE-2020-28923 Affected Play Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.8.5
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
com.typesafe.play:play
maven/com.typesafe.play/play
Maven
≥ 2.8.0
< 2.8.5
2.8.5

References

NVD — CVE-2020-28923 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-28923
Play Security Information SECURITY
https://www.playframework.com/security/vulnerability
Play Security Information SECURITY
https://www.playframework.com/security/vulnerability/CVE-2020-28923-ImproperRemovalofSensitiveInformationBeforeStorageorTransfer

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-28923?
CVE-2020-28923 is a security vulnerability in Play involving Data Amplification in Play Framework under CWE-20: Improper Input Validation.
Which Play versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.8.5 across affected packages: com.typesafe.play:play.
What version fixes CVE-2020-28923?
Upgrading to 2.8.5 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is play affected?
Yes, com.typesafe.play:play is affected in releases prior to 2.8.5. Upgrade your dependency to 2.8.5 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-28923?
CVE-2020-28923 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 2.7 (LOW) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-28923?
CVE-2020-28923 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-2020-28923?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.typesafe.play'. 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-v9mf-jgq3-c28h",
  "modified" : "2021-04-09T22:29:34Z",
  "published" : "2022-02-09T22:54:21Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-28923" ],
  "summary" : "Data Amplification in Play Framework",
  "details" : "An issue was discovered in Play Framework 2.8.0 through 2.8.4. Carefully crafted JSON payloads sent as a form field lead to Data Amplification. This affects users migrating from a Play version prior to 2.8.0 that used the Play Java API to serialize classes with protected or private fields to JSON.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.typesafe.play:play"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.8.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.8.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-28923"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.playframework.com/security/vulnerability"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.playframework.com/security/vulnerability/CVE-2020-28923-ImproperRemovalofSensitiveInformationBeforeStorageorTransfer"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-20" ],
    "severity" : "LOW",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-04-09T22:29:34Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-12-03T17:15:00Z"
  }
}