CVE-2020-8441: Jyaml Deserialization Of Untrusted Data Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-4qhr-q7wf-94xp
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-502
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-8441 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability (CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data) affecting Jyaml libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves deserialization of untrusted data in jyaml. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2020-8441 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-8441
GHSA Identifier GHSA-4qhr-q7wf-94xp
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data
Affected Product Jyaml
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
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-2020-8441

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Jyaml 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.jyaml:jyaml fixed: Latest secure release 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.jyaml</groupId>
    <artifactId>jyaml</artifactId>
    <version>Latest secure release</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.jyaml

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-8441, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.jyaml

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

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.jyaml 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-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data, where the product deserializes untrusted data without sufficiently ensuring that the resulting data will be valid. In Jyaml, 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

JYaml through 1.3 allows remote code execution during deserialization of a malicious payload through the load() function. NOTE: this is a discontinued product.

CVE-2020-8441 Affected Jyaml Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.jyaml:jyaml
maven/org.jyaml/jyaml
Maven
≤ 1.3

References

NVD — CVE-2020-8441 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-8441
Jyaml Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://gist.github.com/j0lt-github/f5141abcacae63d434ecae211422153a
Jyaml Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mbechler/marshalsec
Jyaml Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/mbechler/marshalsec/blob/master/marshalsec.pdf
Jyaml Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200313-0001
sourceforge.net/p/jyaml/bugs WEB
https://sourceforge.net/p/jyaml/bugs

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-8441?
CVE-2020-8441 is a security vulnerability in Jyaml involving Deserialization of Untrusted Data in JYaml under CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data.
Which Jyaml versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: org.jyaml:jyaml.
What version fixes CVE-2020-8441?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is jyaml affected?
Yes, org.jyaml:jyaml is affected in releases prior to Latest secure release. Upgrade your dependency to Latest secure release or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-8441?
CVE-2020-8441 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-8441?
CVE-2020-8441 is classified under CWE-502: Deserialization of Untrusted Data (The product deserializes untrusted data without sufficiently ensuring that the resulting data will be valid.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-8441?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.jyaml'. 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-4qhr-q7wf-94xp",
  "modified" : "2022-06-23T06:57:31Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T17:09:22Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-8441" ],
  "summary" : "Deserialization of Untrusted Data in JYaml",
  "details" : "JYaml through 1.3 allows remote code execution during deserialization of a malicious payload through the load() function. NOTE: this is a discontinued product.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.jyaml:jyaml"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "1.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-8441"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://gist.github.com/j0lt-github/f5141abcacae63d434ecae211422153a"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mbechler/marshalsec"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/mbechler/marshalsec/blob/master/marshalsec.pdf"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20200313-0001"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://sourceforge.net/p/jyaml/bugs"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-502" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-06-23T06:57:31Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-02-19T17:15:00Z"
  }
}