Vulnerabilities in pkg:maven/org.neo4j/neo4j-enterprise

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Advisory Identifier: GHSA-h5f5-rj4r-42f6
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Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-18389 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) incorrect access control vulnerability (CWE-287: Improper Authentication) affecting Neo4j enterprise libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves incorrect access control in neo4j enterprise database server via ldap authentication. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.4.9.

1 Known Advisory Record(s)
Package Vulnerability Intelligence

pkg:maven/org.neo4j/neo4j-enterprise

1 Known Advisory Record(s)

Vulnerability advisories affecting package pkg:maven/org.neo4j/neo4j-enterprise. Select an advisory below to view technical details or fixes.

Advisory ID CVE / NVD Severity Summary
GHSA-h5f5-rj4r-42f6 CVE-2018-18389 CRITICAL Incorrect access control in Neo4j Enterprise Database Server via LDAP authentication

CVE-2018-18389 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-18389
GHSA Identifier GHSA-h5f5-rj4r-42f6
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-287: Improper Authentication
Affected Product Neo4j enterprise
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:3.0/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-2018-18389

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Neo4j enterprise 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.neo4j:neo4j-enterprise fixed: 3.4.9 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.neo4j</groupId>
    <artifactId>neo4j-enterprise</artifactId>
    <version>3.4.9</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.neo4j

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2018-18389, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.neo4j

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Neo4j enterprise in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.4.9), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.neo4j 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 Neo4j enterprise, 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

Due to incorrect access control in Neo4j Enterprise Database Server 3.4.x before 3.4.9, the setting of LDAP for authentication with STARTTLS, and System Account for authorization, allows an attacker to log into the server by sending any valid username with an arbitrary password.

CVE-2018-18389 Affected Neo4j enterprise Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
3.4.9
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.neo4j:neo4j-enterprise
maven/org.neo4j/neo4j-enterprise
Maven
≥ 3.4.0
< 3.4.9
3.4.9

References

NVD — CVE-2018-18389 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-18389
Neo4j enterprise Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/neo4j/neo4j/issues/12047
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/neo4j/neo4j/commit/46de5d01ae2741ffe04c36270fc62c6d490f65c9
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-h5f5-rj4r-42f6
Neo4j enterprise Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/neo4j/neo4j

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-18389?
CVE-2018-18389 is a security vulnerability in Neo4j enterprise involving Incorrect access control in Neo4j Enterprise Database Server via LDAP authentication under CWE-287: Improper Authentication.
Which Neo4j enterprise versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 3.4.9 across affected packages: org.neo4j:neo4j-enterprise.
What version fixes CVE-2018-18389?
Upgrading to 3.4.9 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is neo4j-enterprise affected?
Yes, org.neo4j:neo4j-enterprise is affected in releases prior to 3.4.9. Upgrade your dependency to 3.4.9 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-18389?
CVE-2018-18389 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-18389?
CVE-2018-18389 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-2018-18389?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.neo4j'. 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-h5f5-rj4r-42f6",
  "modified" : "2022-04-27T14:23:03Z",
  "published" : "2018-10-17T17:31:26Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-18389" ],
  "summary" : "Incorrect access control in Neo4j Enterprise Database Server via LDAP authentication",
  "details" : "Due to incorrect access control in Neo4j Enterprise Database Server 3.4.x before 3.4.9, the setting of LDAP for authentication with STARTTLS, and System Account for authorization, allows an attacker to log into the server by sending any valid username with an arbitrary password.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.neo4j:neo4j-enterprise"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "3.4.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "3.4.9"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-18389"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/neo4j/neo4j/issues/12047"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/neo4j/neo4j/commit/46de5d01ae2741ffe04c36270fc62c6d490f65c9"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-h5f5-rj4r-42f6"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/neo4j/neo4j"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-287" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:38:59Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}