CVE-2021-25933: Opennms Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-jjhw-5mxp-2g2q
Share
CVSS 4.8
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-25933 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.8) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Opennms libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves cross-site scripting in opennms horizon. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 27.1.1.

CVE-2021-25933 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-25933
GHSA Identifier GHSA-jjhw-5mxp-2g2q
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.8
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Opennms
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.8

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2021-25933

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Opennms 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.opennms:opennms fixed: 27.1.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.opennms</groupId>
    <artifactId>opennms</artifactId>
    <version>27.1.1</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.opennms

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2021-25933, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.opennms

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Opennms in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 27.1.1), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.opennms 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-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'), where the product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users. In Opennms, 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

In OpenNMS Horizon, versions opennms-1-0-stable through opennms-27.1.1; OpenNMS Meridian, versions meridian-foundation-2015.1.0-1 through meridian-foundation-2019.1.18-1; meridian-foundation-2020.1.0-1 through meridian-foundation-2020.1.6-1 are vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting, since the function `validateFormInput()` performs improper validation checks on the input sent to the `groupName` and `groupComment` parameters. Due to this flaw, an authenticated attacker could inject arbitrary script and trick other admin users into downloading malicious files which can cause severe damage to the organization using opennms.

CVE-2021-25933 Affected Opennms Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
27.1.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.opennms:opennms
maven/org.opennms/opennms
Maven
≥ 1.0.0
< 27.1.1
27.1.1

References

NVD — CVE-2021-25933 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-25933
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/OpenNMS/opennms/commit/8a97e6869d6e49da18b208c837438ace80049c01%2C
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/OpenNMS/opennms/commit/8a97e6869d6e49da18b208c837438ace80049c01,
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/OpenNMS/opennms/commit/eb08b5ed4c5548f3e941a1f0d0363ae4439fa98c
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/OpenNMS/opennms/commit/f3ebfa3da5352b4d57f238b54c6db315ad99f10e
Opennms Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/OpenNMS/opennms
www.whitesourcesoftware.com/vulnerability-datab... WEB
https://www.whitesourcesoftware.com/vulnerability-database/CVE-2021-25933

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-25933?
CVE-2021-25933 is a security vulnerability in Opennms involving Cross-site Scripting in OpenNMS Horizon under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Opennms versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 27.1.1 across affected packages: org.opennms:opennms.
What version fixes CVE-2021-25933?
Upgrading to 27.1.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is opennms affected?
Yes, org.opennms:opennms is affected in releases prior to 27.1.1. Upgrade your dependency to 27.1.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-25933?
CVE-2021-25933 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.8 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-25933?
CVE-2021-25933 is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') (The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-25933?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.opennms'. 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-jjhw-5mxp-2g2q",
  "modified" : "2025-05-01T00:21:24Z",
  "published" : "2021-05-25T18:47:01Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-25933" ],
  "summary" : "Cross-site Scripting in OpenNMS Horizon",
  "details" : "In OpenNMS Horizon, versions opennms-1-0-stable through opennms-27.1.1; OpenNMS Meridian, versions meridian-foundation-2015.1.0-1 through meridian-foundation-2019.1.18-1; meridian-foundation-2020.1.0-1 through meridian-foundation-2020.1.6-1 are vulnerable to Stored Cross-Site Scripting, since the function `validateFormInput()` performs improper validation checks on the input sent to the `groupName` and `groupComment` parameters. Due to this flaw, an authenticated attacker could inject arbitrary script and trick other admin users into downloading malicious files which can cause severe damage to the organization using opennms.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.opennms:opennms"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "1.0.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "27.1.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-25933"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/OpenNMS/opennms/commit/8a97e6869d6e49da18b208c837438ace80049c01%2C"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/OpenNMS/opennms/commit/8a97e6869d6e49da18b208c837438ace80049c01,"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/OpenNMS/opennms/commit/eb08b5ed4c5548f3e941a1f0d0363ae4439fa98c"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/OpenNMS/opennms/commit/f3ebfa3da5352b4d57f238b54c6db315ad99f10e"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/OpenNMS/opennms"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.whitesourcesoftware.com/vulnerability-database/CVE-2021-25933"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-05-21T17:29:49Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-05-20T15:15:00Z"
  }
}