CVE-2022-0198: Stanford corenlp Stanford-corenlp Vulnerability

MODERATE

Advisory Identifier: GHSA-mh83-jcw5-rjh8

CVSS 6.1

Published 2022-01-14

Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-0198 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.1) stanford-corenlp vulnerability (CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference) affecting Stanford corenlp libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves stanford-corenlp. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2022-0198 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-0198

GHSA Identifier GHSA-mh83-jcw5-rjh8

Severity MODERATE

CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.1

CWE Classification CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference

Affected Product Stanford corenlp

Package Ecosystem Maven

Published Date 2022-01-14

Last Updated 2022-01-20

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.1

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)

Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)

Privileges Required None (PR:N)

User Interaction Required (UI:R)

Scope Unchanged (S:U)

Confidentiality High (C:H)

Integrity Low (I:L)

Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2022-0198

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

edu.stanford.nlp:stanford-corenlp fixed: Latest secure release

<dependency>
    <groupId>edu.stanford.nlp</groupId>
    <artifactId>stanford-corenlp</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=edu.stanford.nlp

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2022-0198, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=edu.stanford.nlp

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Stanford corenlp 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=edu.stanford.nlp 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-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference, where the product processes an xml document that can contain xml entities with uris that resolve to documents outside of the intended sphere of control, causing the product to embed incorrect documents into its output. In Stanford corenlp, 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

The TransformXML() function makes use of SAXParser generated from a SAXParserFactory with no FEATURE_SECURE_PROCESSING set, allowing for XXE attacks.

CVE-2022-0198 Affected Stanford corenlp Versions

1 component(s)

Product / Package	Ecosystem	Affected Versions	Fixed Version
edu.stanford.nlp:stanford-corenlp maven/edu.stanford.nlp/stanford-corenlp	Maven	≤ 4.3.2

References

NVD — CVE-2022-0198 NVD

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-0198

Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT

https://github.com/stanfordnlp/corenlp/commit/1f52136321cfca68b991bd7870563d06cf96624d

Stanford corenlp Source Repository REPOSITORY

https://github.com/stanfordnlp/corenlp

huntr.dev/bounties/3d7e70fe-d... WEB

https://huntr.dev/bounties/3d7e70fe-dddd-4b79-af62-8e058c4d5763

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-0198?

CVE-2022-0198 is a security vulnerability in Stanford corenlp involving stanford-corenlp under CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference.

Which Stanford corenlp versions are affected?

Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: edu.stanford.nlp:stanford-corenlp.

What version fixes CVE-2022-0198?

Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.

Is stanford-corenlp affected?

Yes, edu.stanford.nlp:stanford-corenlp 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-2022-0198?

CVE-2022-0198 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.1 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N.

What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-0198?

CVE-2022-0198 is classified under CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference (The product processes an XML document that can contain XML entities with URIs that resolve to documents outside of the intended sphere of control, causing the product to embed incorrect documents into its output.).

How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2022-0198?

Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=edu.stanford.nlp'. 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-mh83-jcw5-rjh8",
  "modified" : "2022-01-20T15:33:35Z",
  "published" : "2022-01-14T21:07:23Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-0198" ],
  "summary" : "XML External Entity Reference in edu.stanford.nlp:stanford-corenlp",
  "details" : "The TransformXML() function makes use of SAXParser generated from a SAXParserFactory with no FEATURE_SECURE_PROCESSING set, allowing for XXE attacks.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "edu.stanford.nlp:stanford-corenlp"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "4.3.2"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-0198"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/stanfordnlp/corenlp/commit/1f52136321cfca68b991bd7870563d06cf96624d"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/stanfordnlp/corenlp"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://huntr.dev/bounties/3d7e70fe-dddd-4b79-af62-8e058c4d5763"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-611" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-01-14T20:54:24Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-01-13T07:15:00Z"
  }
}

CVSS V3

6.1 MODERATE