Vulnerabilities in pkg:maven/org.apache.xmlrpc/xmlrpc-common

PACKAGE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-r2pg-w96p-pcpj
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Advisory Summary

CVE-2016-5004 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) denial of service vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting Xmlrpc common libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves ws-xmlrpc dos vulnerability. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

1 Known Advisory Record(s)
Package Vulnerability Intelligence

pkg:maven/org.apache.xmlrpc/xmlrpc-common

1 Known Advisory Record(s)

Vulnerability advisories affecting package pkg:maven/org.apache.xmlrpc/xmlrpc-common. Select an advisory below to view technical details or fixes.

Advisory ID CVE / NVD Severity Summary
GHSA-r2pg-w96p-pcpj CVE-2016-5004 MODERATE ws-xmlrpc DoS Vulnerability

CVE-2016-5004 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2016-5004
GHSA Identifier GHSA-r2pg-w96p-pcpj
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product Xmlrpc common
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.5

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

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
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-2016-5004

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Xmlrpc common 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.xmlrpc:xmlrpc-common fixed: Latest secure release 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.xmlrpc</groupId>
    <artifactId>xmlrpc-common</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.apache.xmlrpc

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2016-5004, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

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

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Xmlrpc common 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.apache.xmlrpc 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-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, where the product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource. In Xmlrpc common, 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 Content-Encoding HTTP header feature in ws-xmlrpc 3.1.3 as used in Apache Archiva allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (resource consumption) by decompressing a large file containing zeroes.

CVE-2016-5004 Affected Xmlrpc common Versions

1 component(s)
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.xmlrpc:xmlrpc-common
maven/org.apache.xmlrpc/xmlrpc-common
Maven
≤ 3.1.3

References

NVD — CVE-2016-5004 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-5004
Xmlrpc common Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/0ang3el/unsafe-xmlrpc
Xmlrpc common Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20160716070844/http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1036294
Xmlrpc common Security Information SECURITY
https://web.archive.org/web/20171111065719/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/91736
web.archive.org/web/20171114185236/... WEB
https://web.archive.org/web/20171114185236/https://0ang3el.blogspot.in/2016/07/beware-of-ws-xmlrpc-library-in-your.html
Xmlrpc common Security Information SECURITY
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/07/12/5

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2016-5004?
CVE-2016-5004 is a security vulnerability in Xmlrpc common involving ws-xmlrpc DoS Vulnerability under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which Xmlrpc common versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches across affected packages: org.apache.xmlrpc:xmlrpc-common.
What version fixes CVE-2016-5004?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is xmlrpc-common affected?
Yes, org.apache.xmlrpc:xmlrpc-common 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-2016-5004?
CVE-2016-5004 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2016-5004?
CVE-2016-5004 is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2016-5004?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.xmlrpc'. 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-r2pg-w96p-pcpj",
  "modified" : "2023-07-31T19:39:55Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-17T02:40:59Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2016-5004" ],
  "summary" : "ws-xmlrpc DoS Vulnerability",
  "details" : "The Content-Encoding HTTP header feature in ws-xmlrpc 3.1.3 as used in Apache Archiva allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (resource consumption) by decompressing a large file containing zeroes.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.xmlrpc:xmlrpc-common"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "last_affected" : "3.1.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-5004"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/0ang3el/unsafe-xmlrpc"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20160716070844/http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1036294"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20171111065719/http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/91736"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://web.archive.org/web/20171114185236/https://0ang3el.blogspot.in/2016/07/beware-of-ws-xmlrpc-library-in-your.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/07/12/5"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-400" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2023-07-31T19:39:55Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2017-06-06T18:29:00Z"
  }
}