Media

XStream vulnerable to an Arbitrary File Deletion on the local host when unmarshalling

  • Publicada: 21.12.2020
  • Actualizado: 11.10.2026 12:22

Impact

The vulnerability may allow a remote attacker to delete arbitrary know files on the host as log as the executing process has sufficient rights only by manipulating the processed input stream.

Patches

If you rely on XStream's default blacklist of the Security Framework, you will have to use at least version 1.4.15.

Workarounds

The reported vulnerability does only exist with a JAX-WS runtime on the classpath.

No user is affected, who followed the recommendation to setup XStream's Security Framework with a whitelist! Anyone relying on XStream's default blacklist can immediately switch to a whilelist for the allowed types to avoid the vulnerability.

Users of XStream 1.4.14 or below who still insist to use XStream default blacklist - despite that clear recommendation - can use a workaround depending on their version in use.

Users of XStream 1.4.14 can simply add two lines to XStream's setup code:

java
xstream.denyTypes(new String[]{ "jdk.nashorn.internal.objects.NativeString" });
xstream.denyTypesByRegExp(new String[]{ ".*\\.ReadAllStream\\$FileStream" });

Users of XStream 1.4.14 to 1.4.13 can simply add three lines to XStream's setup code:

java
xstream.denyTypes(new String[]{ "javax.imageio.ImageIO$ContainsFilter", "jdk.nashorn.internal.objects.NativeString" });
xstream.denyTypes(new Class[]{ java.lang.ProcessBuilder.class });
xstream.denyTypesByRegExp(new String[]{ ".*\\.ReadAllStream\\$FileStream" });

Users of XStream 1.4.12 to 1.4.7 who want to use XStream with a black list will have to setup such a list from scratch and deny at least the following types: javax.imageio.ImageIO$ContainsFilter, java.beans.EventHandler, java.lang.ProcessBuilder, jdk.nashorn.internal.objects.NativeString.class, java.lang.Void and void and deny several types by name pattern.

java
xstream.denyTypes(new String[]{ "javax.imageio.ImageIO$ContainsFilter", "jdk.nashorn.internal.objects.NativeString" });
xstream.denyTypes(new Class[]{ java.lang.ProcessBuilder.class, "jdk.nashorn.internal.objects.NativeString", java.beans.EventHandler.class, java.lang.ProcessBuilder.class, java.lang.Void.class, void.class });
xstream.denyTypesByRegExp(new String[]{ ".*\\$LazyIterator", "javax\\.crypto\\..*", ".*\\.ReadAllStream\\$FileStream" });

Users of XStream 1.4.6 or below can register an own converter to prevent the unmarshalling of the currently know critical types of the Java runtime. It is in fact an updated version of the workaround for CVE-2013-7285:

java
xstream.registerConverter(new Converter() {
  public boolean canConvert(Class type) {
    return type != null && (type == java.beans.EventHandler.class || type == java.lang.ProcessBuilder.class
        || type.getName().equals("javax.imageio.ImageIO$ContainsFilter") || type.getName().equals("jdk.nashorn.internal.objects.NativeString")
        || type == java.lang.Void.class || void.class || Proxy.isProxy(type))
        || type.getName().startsWith("javax.crypto.") || type.getName().endsWith("$LazyIterator") || type.getName().endsWith(".ReadAllStream$FileStream"));
  }

  public Object unmarshal(HierarchicalStreamReader reader, UnmarshallingContext context) {
    throw new ConversionException("Unsupported type due to security reasons.");
  }

  public void marshal(Object source, HierarchicalStreamWriter writer, MarshallingContext context) {
    throw new ConversionException("Unsupported type due to security reasons.");
  }
}, XStream.PRIORITY_LOW);

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

Software afectado

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PlataformaPaqueteVersiones vulnerablesCorregida en
Java / Kotlin (Maven) com.thoughtworks.xstream:xstream < 1.4.15 1.4.15

Referencias

Puntuación CVSS 6.8/10
Vector CVSS
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:H/A:N
Debilidad (CWE)
CWE-78
Plataforma
Java / Kotlin (Maven)
Paquete
com.thoughtworks.xstream:xstream
Publicada
21.12.2020
Actualizado
11.10.2026 12:22

Fuentes y licencias

OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-jfvx-7wrx-43fh - CC BY 4.0

Historial de vulnerabilidades: com.thoughtworks.xstream:xstream

Todas las vulnerabilidades publicadas de este paquete (Java / Kotlin (Maven)), de la más reciente a la más antigua. Muestra si es un fallo aislado o un paquete que hay que vigilar.

Todas (37) en el archivo
Entradas en total
37
Primera → última
05.2019 11.2024
Sin corrección
0
Explotada en ataques
1

Distribución por gravedad

  • Crítica 2
  • Alta 22
  • Media 13

Divulgaciones por año

  1. 2019: 2
  2. 2020: 5
  3. 2021: 26
  4. 2022: 3
  5. 2023: 0
  6. 2024: 1
  7. 2025: 0
  8. 2026: 0
Gravedad:
  1. Alta · 8.2 CVE-2022-41966 < 1.4.20 1.4.20
  2. Alta · 8.5 CVE-2021-39139 < 1.4.18 1.4.18
  3. Alta · 8.5 CVE-2021-39141 < 1.4.18 1.4.18
  4. Alta · 8.5 Explotada en ataques CVE-2021-39144 < 1.4.18 1.4.18
  5. Alta · 8.5 CVE-2021-39145 < 1.4.18 1.4.18
  6. Alta · 8.5 CVE-2021-39146 < 1.4.18 1.4.18
  7. Alta · 8.5 CVE-2021-39147 < 1.4.18 1.4.18
  8. Alta · 8.5 CVE-2021-39148 < 1.4.18 1.4.18
  9. Alta · 8.5 CVE-2021-39149 < 1.4.18 1.4.18
  10. Alta · 8.5 CVE-2021-39151 < 1.4.18 1.4.18
  11. Alta · 8.5 CVE-2021-39153 < 1.4.18 1.4.18
  12. Alta · 8.5 CVE-2021-39154 < 1.4.18 1.4.18
  13. Alta · 7.5 CVE-2021-29505 < 1.4.17 1.4.17
  14. Alta · 7.5 CVE-2021-21341 < 1.4.16 1.4.16
  15. XStream vulnerable to an Arbitrary File Deletion on the local host when unmarshalling esta entrada
    Media · 6.8 CVE-2020-26259 < 1.4.15 1.4.15
Mostrar más (5) Mostrando 20 de 25

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