CVE-2020-5230: Base Unsafe Identifiers Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-w29m-fjp4-qhmq
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CVSS 7.7
CWE-99
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-5230 is a MODERATE (CVSS 7.7) unsafe identifiers vulnerability (CWE-99: Improper Control of Resource Identifiers ('Resource Injection')) affecting Base libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves unsafe identifiers in opencast. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 7.6, 8.1.

CVE-2020-5230 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-5230
GHSA Identifier GHSA-w29m-fjp4-qhmq
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.7
CWE Classification CWE-99: Improper Control of Resource Identifiers ('Resource Injection')
Affected Product Base
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.7

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:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2020-5230

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Base 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.opencastproject:base fixed: 7.6 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.opencastproject</groupId>
    <artifactId>base</artifactId>
    <version>7.6</version>
</dependency>
org.opencastproject:base fixed: 8.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.opencastproject</groupId>
    <artifactId>base</artifactId>
    <version>8.1</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.opencastproject

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-5230, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.opencastproject

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Base in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 7.6), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.opencastproject 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-99: Improper Control of Resource Identifiers ('Resource Injection'), where the product receives input from an upstream component, but it does not restrict or incorrectly restricts the input before it is used as an identifier for a resource that may be outside the intended sphere of control. In Base, 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

### Impact Opencast allows almost arbitrary identifiers for media packages and elements to be used. This can be problematic for operation and security since such identifiers are sometimes used for file system operations which may lead to an attacker being able to escape working directories and write files to other locations. In addition, Opencast's Id.toString(…) vs Id.compact(…) behavior, the latter trying to mitigate some of the file system problems, can cause errors due to identifier mismatch since an identifier may unintentionally change. ### Patches This issue is fixed in Opencast 7.6 and 8.1. ### Workarounds There is no workaround for this. ### For more information If you have any questions or comments about this advisory: - Open an issue in [opencast/opencast](https://github.com/opencast/opencast/issues) - For security-relevant information, email us at security@opencast.org

CVE-2020-5230 Affected Base Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
7.68.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.opencastproject:base
maven/org.opencastproject/base
Maven
< 7.6
7.6
org.opencastproject:base
maven/org.opencastproject/base
Maven
≥ 8.0
< 8.1
8.1

References

GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/opencast/opencast/security/advisories/GHSA-w29m-fjp4-qhmq
NVD — CVE-2020-5230 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-5230
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/opencast/opencast/commit/bbb473f34ab95497d6c432c81285efb0c739f317

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-5230?
CVE-2020-5230 is a security vulnerability in Base involving Unsafe Identifiers in Opencast under CWE-99: Improper Control of Resource Identifiers ('Resource Injection').
Which Base versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 7.6, 8.1 across affected packages: org.opencastproject:base.
What version fixes CVE-2020-5230?
Upgrading to 7.6, 8.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is base affected?
Yes, org.opencastproject:base is affected in releases prior to 7.6, 8.1. Upgrade your dependency to 7.6, 8.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-5230?
CVE-2020-5230 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.7 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-5230?
CVE-2020-5230 is classified under CWE-99: Improper Control of Resource Identifiers ('Resource Injection') (The product receives input from an upstream component, but it does not restrict or incorrectly restricts the input before it is used as an identifier for a resource that may be outside the intended sphere of control.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-5230?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.opencastproject'. 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-w29m-fjp4-qhmq",
  "modified" : "2021-01-14T17:45:47Z",
  "published" : "2020-01-30T21:21:50Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-5230" ],
  "summary" : "Unsafe Identifiers in Opencast",
  "details" : "### Impact\n\nOpencast allows almost arbitrary identifiers for media packages and\nelements to be used. This can be problematic for operation and security\nsince such identifiers are sometimes used for file system operations\nwhich may lead to an attacker being able to escape working directories and\nwrite files to other locations.\n\nIn addition, Opencast's Id.toString(…) vs Id.compact(…) behavior,\nthe latter trying to mitigate some of the file system problems, can\ncause errors due to identifier mismatch since an identifier may\nunintentionally change.\n\n### Patches\n\nThis issue is fixed in Opencast 7.6 and 8.1.\n\n### Workarounds\n\nThere is no workaround for this.\n\n### For more information\n\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory:\n\n- Open an issue in [opencast/opencast](https://github.com/opencast/opencast/issues)\n- For security-relevant information, email us at security@opencast.org",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.opencastproject:base"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "7.6"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.opencastproject:base"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "8.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "8.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/opencast/opencast/security/advisories/GHSA-w29m-fjp4-qhmq"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-5230"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/opencast/opencast/commit/bbb473f34ab95497d6c432c81285efb0c739f317"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-99" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-01-30T20:35:35Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}