CVE-2019-10173: Deserialization of Untrusted Data and Code Injection in xstream

Background

The package under scrutiny is com.thoughtworks.xstream:xstream, which is a Java library used for serializing and deserializing Java objects to XML and other supported formats. It provides a simple API for converting Java objects to XML and vice versa. This vulnerability affects versions before 1.4.11 of the xstream API. The vulnerability allows for the deserialization of untrusted data, which can lead to code injection and the execution of arbitrary shell commands.

Vulnerability Detail

The vulnerability in xstream API version 1.4.10 before 1.4.11 is a regression of a previous deserialization flaw (CVE-2013-7285). If the security framework has not been initialized, an attacker can exploit this vulnerability by unmarshalling XML or any supported format, such as JSON, to run arbitrary shell commands. This can result in unauthorized access, data manipulation, and potential system compromise.

Workaround

If upgrading to the fixed version is not immediately feasible, a workaround is to initialize the security framework before unmarshalling any data. This can be done by explicitly calling the appropriate security framework initialization method in your code. Here is an example in Java using the XStream class:

import com.thoughtworks.xstream.XStream;
import com.thoughtworks.xstream.security.NullPermission;

public class XStreamExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        XStream xstream = new XStream();
        xstream.addPermission(NullPermission.NULL);
        // Rest of the code
    }
}

Conclusion

In conclusion, the xstream API version 1.4.10 before 1.4.11 is vulnerable to deserialization of untrusted data and code injection. This can be exploited by an attacker to run arbitrary shell commands. It is crucial to upgrade to version 1.4.11 or later to mitigate this vulnerability. If immediate upgrade is not possible, ensure to initialize the security framework before unmarshalling any data. For further support on vulnerability remediation, contact DevNack.com.

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