Quantum Secular Labs / Blog / Advisories

CVE-2017-20151: Itextpdf Rups: XML external entity injection

CVE-2017-20151 is rated critical with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 and affects Itextpdf Rups. Per its scoring, it can be exploited over the network, without authentication, without any user interaction. The scored impact on confidentiality, integrity and availability is the highest available.

Vulnerability description

A vulnerability classified as problematic was found in iText RUPS. This vulnerability affects unknown code of the file src/main/java/com/itextpdf/rups/model/XfaFile.java. The manipulation leads to xml external entity reference. The patch is identified as ac5590925874ef810018a6b60fec216eee54fb32. It is recommended to apply a patch to fix this issue. VDB-217054 is the identifier assigned to this vulnerability.

Severity breakdown

CVSS v3.1 9.8: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

  • Attack vector: Network. Exploitable remotely over the network, with no need for local or physical access.
  • Attack complexity: Low. No special conditions; the attack can be repeated reliably.
  • Privileges required: None. No account or prior access is needed.
  • User interaction: None. No action from any user is needed.
  • Scope: Unchanged. Impact stays within the vulnerable component.
  • Confidentiality impact: High. Total loss of confidentiality; sensitive data can be fully disclosed.
  • Integrity impact: High. Total loss of integrity; data or system state can be fully modified.
  • Availability impact: High. Total loss of availability; the component can be shut down.

Underlying weakness

CWE-611: Improper Restriction of XML External Entity Reference

The product processes an XML document that can contain XML entities with URIs that resolve to documents outside of the intended sphere of control, causing the product to embed incorrect documents into its output.

Affected products

  • Itextpdf Rups: before 2017-08-01

References