CVE-2021-38543: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-h8c4-66r2-5rr2
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Advisory Summary

CVE-2021-38543 is a MODERATE security vulnerability vulnerability (General Security Weakness) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2021-38543 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2021-38543
GHSA Identifier GHSA-h8c4-66r2-5rr2
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score N/A
CWE Classification General Security Weakness
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

How to Fix CVE-2021-38543

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

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

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2021-38543, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Software 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 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 General Security Weakness. In Software, 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

TP-Link UE330 USB splitter devices through 2021-08-09, in certain specific use cases in which the device supplies power to audio-output equipment, allow remote attackers to recover speech signals from an LED on the device, via a telescope and an electro-optical sensor, aka a "Glowworm" attack. We assume that the USB splitter supplies power to some speakers. The power indicator LED of the USB splitter is connected directly to the power line, as a result, the intensity of the USB splitter's power indicator LED is correlative to its power consumption. The sound played by the connected speakers affects the USB splitter's power consumption and as a result is also correlative to the light intensity of the LED. By analyzing measurements obtained from an electro-optical sensor directed at the power indicator LED of the USB splitter, we can recover the sound played by the connected speakers.

References

NVD — CVE-2021-38543 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-38543
www.nassiben.com/glowworm-attack WEB
https://www.nassiben.com/glowworm-attack

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2021-38543?
CVE-2021-38543 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under General Security Weakness.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2021-38543?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2021-38543?
CVE-2021-38543 is classified under General Security Weakness.
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2021-38543?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. 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-h8c4-66r2-5rr2",
  "modified" : "2022-05-24T19:10:42Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-24T19:10:42Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2021-38543" ],
  "details" : "TP-Link UE330 USB splitter devices through 2021-08-09, in certain specific use cases in which the device supplies power to audio-output equipment, allow remote attackers to recover speech signals from an LED on the device, via a telescope and an electro-optical sensor, aka a \"Glowworm\" attack. We assume that the USB splitter supplies power to some speakers. The power indicator LED of the USB splitter is connected directly to the power line, as a result, the intensity of the USB splitter's power indicator LED is correlative to its power consumption. The sound played by the connected speakers affects the USB splitter's power consumption and as a result is also correlative to the light intensity of the LED. By analyzing measurements obtained from an electro-optical sensor directed at the power indicator LED of the USB splitter, we can recover the sound played by the connected speakers.",
  "severity" : [ ],
  "affected" : [ ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-38543"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.nassiben.com/glowworm-attack"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : false,
    "github_reviewed_at" : null,
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-08-11T16:15:00Z"
  }
}