CVE-2023-33546: Janino parent Denial of Service Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-gcg6-xv4f-f749
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CVSS 5.5
CWE-787
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-33546 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.5) denial of service vulnerability (CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write) affecting Janino parent libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves janino vulnerable to denial of service due to stack overflow. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2023-33546 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-33546
GHSA Identifier GHSA-gcg6-xv4f-f749
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.5
CWE Classification CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write
Affected Product Janino parent
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.5

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

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 None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2023-33546

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Janino parent 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.codehaus.janino:janino-parent fixed: Latest secure release 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.codehaus.janino</groupId>
    <artifactId>janino-parent</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.codehaus.janino

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2023-33546, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.codehaus.janino

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Janino parent 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.codehaus.janino 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-787: Out-of-bounds Write, where the product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer. In Janino parent, 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

janino 3.1.9 and earlier is subject to denial of service (DOS) attacks when using the expression `evaluator.guess` parameter name method. If the parser runs on user-supplied input, an attacker could supply content that causes the parser to crash due to a stack overflow.

CVE-2023-33546 Affected Janino parent Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.codehaus.janino:janino-parent
maven/org.codehaus.janino/janino-parent
Maven
≤ 3.1.9

References

NVD — CVE-2023-33546 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-33546
Janino parent Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/janino-compiler/janino/issues/201
Janino parent Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/janino-compiler/janino
janino-compiler.github.io/janino/ WEB
https://janino-compiler.github.io/janino/#security

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-33546?
CVE-2023-33546 is a security vulnerability in Janino parent involving janino vulnerable to denial of service due to stack overflow under CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write.
Which Janino parent versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: org.codehaus.janino:janino-parent.
What version fixes CVE-2023-33546?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is janino-parent affected?
Yes, org.codehaus.janino:janino-parent 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-2023-33546?
CVE-2023-33546 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-33546?
CVE-2023-33546 is classified under CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write (The product writes data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2023-33546?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.codehaus.janino'. 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-gcg6-xv4f-f749",
  "modified" : "2023-06-09T15:02:18Z",
  "published" : "2023-06-01T15:30:59Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-33546" ],
  "summary" : "janino vulnerable to denial of service due to stack overflow",
  "details" : "janino 3.1.9 and earlier is subject to denial of service (DOS) attacks when using the expression `evaluator.guess` parameter name method. If the parser runs on user-supplied input, an attacker could supply content that causes the parser to crash due to a stack overflow.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.codehaus.janino:janino-parent"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "3.1.9"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-33546"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/janino-compiler/janino/issues/201"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/janino-compiler/janino"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://janino-compiler.github.io/janino/#security"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-787" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-06-06T02:03:28Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2023-06-01T13:15:10Z"
  }
}