CVE-2021-3503: Wildfly metrics Metrics Exposure Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-c4r5-xvgw-2942
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CVSS 4.3
CWE-200
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-3503 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.3) metrics exposure vulnerability (CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor) affecting Wildfly metrics libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves metrics exposure in wildfly. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 23.0.1.Final.

CVE-2021-3503 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-3503
GHSA Identifier GHSA-c4r5-xvgw-2942
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.3
CWE Classification CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
Affected Product Wildfly metrics
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.3

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
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-2021-3503

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Wildfly metrics 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.wildfly:wildfly-metrics fixed: 23.0.1.Final 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.wildfly</groupId>
    <artifactId>wildfly-metrics</artifactId>
    <version>23.0.1.Final</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.wildfly

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2021-3503, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.wildfly

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Wildfly metrics in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 23.0.1.Final), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.wildfly 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-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor, where the product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information. In Wildfly metrics, 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

A flaw was found in Wildfly where insufficient RBAC restrictions may lead to expose metrics data.

CVE-2021-3503 Affected Wildfly metrics Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
23.0.1.Final
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.wildfly:wildfly-metrics
maven/org.wildfly/wildfly-metrics
Maven
< 23.0.1.Final
23.0.1.Final

References

NVD — CVE-2021-3503 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-3503
Wildfly metrics Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/wildfly/wildfly/pull/14136
Wildfly metrics Security Information SECURITY
https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-3503
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi WEB
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1942693
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-c4r5-xvgw-2942
Wildfly metrics Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/wildfly/wildfly
issues.redhat.com/browse/wfly-11933 WEB
https://issues.redhat.com/browse/WFLY-11933
Wildfly metrics Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20220609-0004

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-3503?
CVE-2021-3503 is a security vulnerability in Wildfly metrics involving Metrics exposure in Wildfly under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor.
Which Wildfly metrics versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 23.0.1.Final across affected packages: org.wildfly:wildfly-metrics.
What version fixes CVE-2021-3503?
Upgrading to 23.0.1.Final (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is wildfly-metrics affected?
Yes, org.wildfly:wildfly-metrics is affected in releases prior to 23.0.1.Final. Upgrade your dependency to 23.0.1.Final or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2021-3503?
CVE-2021-3503 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.3 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-3503?
CVE-2021-3503 is classified under CWE-200: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor (The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-3503?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.wildfly'. 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-c4r5-xvgw-2942",
  "modified" : "2023-09-25T11:33:41Z",
  "published" : "2022-04-19T00:00:50Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-3503" ],
  "summary" : "Metrics exposure in Wildfly",
  "details" : "A flaw was found in Wildfly where insufficient RBAC restrictions may lead to expose metrics data.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.wildfly:wildfly-metrics"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "23.0.1.Final"
      } ]
    } ],
    "database_specific" : {
      "last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 23.0.0.Final"
    }
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-3503"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/wildfly/wildfly/pull/14136"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2021-3503"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1942693"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-c4r5-xvgw-2942"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/wildfly/wildfly"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://issues.redhat.com/browse/WFLY-11933"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20220609-0004"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-200" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-04-28T21:16:02Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-04-18T17:15:00Z"
  }
}