Vulnerabilities in pkg:maven/org.apache.shiro/shiro-spring-boot-starter

PACKAGE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-v98j-7crc-wvrj
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Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-17523 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) authentication bypass vulnerability (CWE-287: Improper Authentication) affecting Shiro web libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves authentication bypass in apache shiro. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.7.1.

1 Known Advisory Record(s)
Package Vulnerability Intelligence

pkg:maven/org.apache.shiro/shiro-spring-boot-starter

1 Known Advisory Record(s)

Vulnerability advisories affecting package pkg:maven/org.apache.shiro/shiro-spring-boot-starter. Select an advisory below to view technical details or fixes.

Advisory ID CVE / NVD Severity Summary
GHSA-v98j-7crc-wvrj CVE-2020-17523 CRITICAL Authentication bypass in Apache Shiro

CVE-2020-17523 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-17523
GHSA Identifier GHSA-v98j-7crc-wvrj
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-287: Improper Authentication
Affected Product Shiro web
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2020-17523

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Shiro web 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.apache.shiro:shiro-web fixed: 1.7.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.shiro</groupId>
    <artifactId>shiro-web</artifactId>
    <version>1.7.1</version>
</dependency>
org.apache.shiro:shiro-spring fixed: 1.7.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.shiro</groupId>
    <artifactId>shiro-spring</artifactId>
    <version>1.7.1</version>
</dependency>
org.apache.shiro:shiro-spring-boot-starter fixed: 1.7.1 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.shiro</groupId>
    <artifactId>shiro-spring-boot-starter</artifactId>
    <version>1.7.1</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.apache.shiro

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-17523, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.shiro

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Shiro web in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.7.1), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.shiro 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-287: Improper Authentication, where when an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct. In Shiro web, 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

Apache Shiro before 1.7.1, when using Apache Shiro with Spring, a specially crafted HTTP request may cause an authentication bypass.

CVE-2020-17523 Affected Shiro web Versions

3 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.7.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.shiro:shiro-web
maven/org.apache.shiro/shiro-web
Maven
< 1.7.1
1.7.1
org.apache.shiro:shiro-spring
maven/org.apache.shiro/shiro-spring
Maven
< 1.7.1
1.7.1
org.apache.shiro:shiro-spring-boot-starter
maven/org.apache.shiro/shiro-spring-boot-starter
Maven
< 1.7.1
1.7.1

References

NVD — CVE-2020-17523 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-17523
Shiro web Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/shiro/pull/263
issues.apache.org/jira/browse/shiro-7... WEB
https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/SHIRO-797
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r5b93dd... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r5b93ddf97e2c4cda779d22fab30539bdec454cfa5baec4ad0ffae235@%3Cgitbox.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r679ca9... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r679ca97813384bdb1a4c087810ba44d9ad9c7c11583979bb7481d196@%3Cdev.shiro.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r8244fd... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r8244fd0831db894d5e89911ded9c72196d395a90ae655414d23ed0dd@%3Cusers.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r852971... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r852971e28f54cafa7d325bd7033115c67d613b112a2a1076817390ac@%3Cdev.shiro.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r9d93df... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r9d93dfb5df016b1a71a808486bc8f9fbafebbdbc8533625f91253f1d@%3Cdev.shiro.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rce5943... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rce5943430a6136d37a1f2fc201d245fe094e2727a0bc27e3b2d43a39%40%3Cdev.shiro.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rd4b613... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rd4b613e121438b97e3eb263cac3137caddb1dbd8f648b73a4f1898a6@%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/re25b83... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/re25b8317b00a50272a7252c4552cf1a81a97984cc2111ef7728e48e0@%3Cdev.shiro.apache.org%3E
shiro.apache.org/download.html WEB
http://shiro.apache.org/download.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-17523?
CVE-2020-17523 is a security vulnerability in Shiro web involving Authentication bypass in Apache Shiro under CWE-287: Improper Authentication.
Which Shiro web versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.7.1 across affected packages: org.apache.shiro:shiro-web, org.apache.shiro:shiro-spring, org.apache.shiro:shiro-spring-boot-starter.
What version fixes CVE-2020-17523?
Upgrading to 1.7.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is shiro-web affected?
Yes, org.apache.shiro:shiro-web is affected in releases prior to 1.7.1. Upgrade your dependency to 1.7.1 or later.
Is shiro-spring affected?
Yes, org.apache.shiro:shiro-spring is affected in releases prior to 1.7.1. Upgrade your dependency to 1.7.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-17523?
CVE-2020-17523 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-17523?
CVE-2020-17523 is classified under CWE-287: Improper Authentication (When an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-17523?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.shiro'. 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-v98j-7crc-wvrj",
  "modified" : "2022-02-09T22:03:57Z",
  "published" : "2022-02-09T22:03:57Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-17523" ],
  "summary" : "Authentication bypass in Apache Shiro",
  "details" : "Apache Shiro before 1.7.1, when using Apache Shiro with Spring, a specially crafted HTTP request may cause an authentication bypass.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
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  }, {
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  }, {
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  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rce5943430a6136d37a1f2fc201d245fe094e2727a0bc27e3b2d43a39%40%3Cdev.shiro.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
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  }, {
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    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/re25b8317b00a50272a7252c4552cf1a81a97984cc2111ef7728e48e0@%3Cdev.shiro.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
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  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
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    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-04-05T21:20:26Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-02-03T17:15:00Z"
  }
}