CVE-2020-36319: Flow server Potential Sensitive Data Exposure Vulnerability

LOW
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-rjww-2x8v-m9v9
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CVSS 3.1
CWE-668 CWE-200
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-36319 is a LOW (CVSS 3.1) potential sensitive data exposure vulnerability (CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere) affecting Flow server libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves potential sensitive data exposure in applications using vaadin 15. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.0.6.

CVE-2020-36319 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-36319
GHSA Identifier GHSA-rjww-2x8v-m9v9
Severity LOW
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 3.1
CWE Classification CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere
Affected Product Flow server
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 3.1

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
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-2020-36319

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Flow 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.

com.vaadin:flow-server fixed: 3.0.6 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.vaadin</groupId>
    <artifactId>flow-server</artifactId>
    <version>3.0.6</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.vaadin

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-36319, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.vaadin

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Flow server in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.0.6), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.vaadin 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-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere, where the product exposes a resource to the wrong control sphere, providing unintended actors with inappropriate access to the resource. In Flow 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

Insecure configuration of default `ObjectMapper` in `com.vaadin:flow-server` versions 3.0.0 through 3.0.5 (Vaadin 15.0.0 through 15.0.4) may expose sensitive data if the application also uses e.g. `@RestController` - https://vaadin.com/security/cve-2020-36319

CVE-2020-36319 Affected Flow server Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.0.6
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
com.vaadin:flow-server
maven/com.vaadin/flow-server
Maven
≥ 3.0.0
< 3.0.6
3.0.6

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/vaadin/flow/security/advisories/GHSA-rjww-2x8v-m9v9
NVD — CVE-2020-36319 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-36319
Flow server Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/vaadin/flow/pull/8016
Flow server Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/vaadin/flow/pull/8051
Flow server Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/vaadin/flow
Flow server Security Information SECURITY
https://vaadin.com/security/cve-2020-36319

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-36319?
CVE-2020-36319 is a security vulnerability in Flow server involving Potential sensitive data exposure in applications using Vaadin 15 under CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere.
Which Flow server versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.0.6 across affected packages: com.vaadin:flow-server.
What version fixes CVE-2020-36319?
Upgrading to 3.0.6 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is flow-server affected?
Yes, com.vaadin:flow-server is affected in releases prior to 3.0.6. Upgrade your dependency to 3.0.6 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-36319?
CVE-2020-36319 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 3.1 (LOW) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-36319?
CVE-2020-36319 is classified under CWE-668: Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere (The product exposes a resource to the wrong control sphere, providing unintended actors with inappropriate access to the resource.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-36319?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.vaadin'. 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-rjww-2x8v-m9v9",
  "modified" : "2022-09-21T19:31:15Z",
  "published" : "2021-04-19T14:52:14Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-36319" ],
  "summary" : "Potential sensitive data exposure in applications using Vaadin 15",
  "details" : "Insecure configuration of default `ObjectMapper` in `com.vaadin:flow-server` versions 3.0.0 through 3.0.5 (Vaadin 15.0.0 through 15.0.4) may expose sensitive data if the application also uses e.g. `@RestController`\n\n- https://vaadin.com/security/cve-2020-36319",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.vaadin:flow-server"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.0.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/vaadin/flow/security/advisories/GHSA-rjww-2x8v-m9v9"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-36319"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/vaadin/flow/pull/8016"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/vaadin/flow/pull/8051"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/vaadin/flow"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://vaadin.com/security/cve-2020-36319"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-200", "CWE-668" ],
    "severity" : "LOW",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-04-16T23:16:31Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-04-23T16:15:00Z"
  }
}