CVE-2020-5529: Htmlunit Code Execution Vulnerability Vulnerability

HIGH
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-5mh9-r3rr-9597
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CVSS 8.1
CWE-94 CWE-665
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-5529 is a HIGH (CVSS 8.1) code execution vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')) affecting Htmlunit libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves code execution vulnerability in htmlunit. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.37.0.

CVE-2020-5529 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-5529
GHSA Identifier GHSA-5mh9-r3rr-9597
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 8.1
CWE Classification CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
Affected Product Htmlunit
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 8.1

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
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-2020-5529

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

net.sourceforge.htmlunit:htmlunit fixed: 2.37.0 
<dependency>
    <groupId>net.sourceforge.htmlunit</groupId>
    <artifactId>htmlunit</artifactId>
    <version>2.37.0</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=net.sourceforge.htmlunit

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-5529, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=net.sourceforge.htmlunit

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Htmlunit in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.37.0), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=net.sourceforge.htmlunit 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-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment. In Htmlunit, 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

HtmlUnit prior to 2.37.0 contains code execution vulnerabilities. HtmlUnit initializes Rhino engine improperly, hence a malicious JavScript code can execute arbitrary Java code on the application. Moreover, when embedded in Android application, Android-specific initialization of Rhino engine is done in an improper way, hence a malicious JavaScript code can execute arbitrary Java code on the application.

CVE-2020-5529 Affected Htmlunit Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.37.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
net.sourceforge.htmlunit:htmlunit
maven/net.sourceforge.htmlunit/htmlunit
Maven
< 2.37.0
2.37.0

References

NVD — CVE-2020-5529 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-5529
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/HtmlUnit/htmlunit/commit/bc1f58d483cc8854a9c4c1739abd5e04a2eb0367
Htmlunit Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/HtmlUnit/htmlunit
Htmlunit Release RELEASE
https://github.com/HtmlUnit/htmlunit/releases/tag/2.37.0
jvn.jp/en/jp/jvn34535327 WEB
https://jvn.jp/en/jp/JVN34535327
lists.apache.org/thread.html/ra2cd7f... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ra2cd7f8e61dc6b8a2d9065094cd1f46aa63ad10f237ee363e26e8563%40%3Ccommits.camel.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/ra2cd7f... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ra2cd7f8e61dc6b8a2d9065094cd1f46aa63ad10f237ee363e26e8563@%3Ccommits.camel.apache.org%3E
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/08/msg00023.html
usn.ubuntu.com/4584-1 WEB
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4584-1

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-5529?
CVE-2020-5529 is a security vulnerability in Htmlunit involving Code execution vulnerability in HtmlUnit under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection').
Which Htmlunit versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.37.0 across affected packages: net.sourceforge.htmlunit:htmlunit.
What version fixes CVE-2020-5529?
Upgrading to 2.37.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is htmlunit affected?
Yes, net.sourceforge.htmlunit:htmlunit is affected in releases prior to 2.37.0. Upgrade your dependency to 2.37.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-5529?
CVE-2020-5529 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.1 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-5529?
CVE-2020-5529 is classified under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-5529?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=net.sourceforge.htmlunit'. 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 
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  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-5mh9-r3rr-9597",
  "modified" : "2024-10-15T23:33:01Z",
  "published" : "2020-05-21T21:08:33Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-5529" ],
  "summary" : "Code execution vulnerability in HtmlUnit",
  "details" : "HtmlUnit prior to 2.37.0 contains code execution vulnerabilities. HtmlUnit initializes Rhino engine improperly, hence a malicious JavScript code can execute arbitrary Java code on the application. Moreover, when embedded in Android application, Android-specific initialization of Rhino engine is done in an improper way, hence a malicious JavaScript code can execute arbitrary Java code on the application. ",
  "severity" : [ {
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  }, {
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  "database_specific" : {
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    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-05-21T17:25:38Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-02-11T12:15:00Z"
  }
}