What I have gathered so far, is that this is actually a real problem, but it may not affect most configurations.

This[0] seems to be the original vulnerability analysis, and this is the example vulnerable app[1].

The main issue seems to be, that since java 9, WebDataBinder can be abused to access the classloader via the "class.module.classloader", you might think that "class.classloader" would work, but it's explicitly filtered out[2], it seems they need to add some filtering for module, as well.

The proof of concept, then access the "AccessLogValve" class via "class.classLoader.resources.context.parent.pipeline.first", which is only accessible if the application is running using a "WeappClassLoaderBase", it then configures the logger, to output an arbitrary JSP file to the webapp root directory, which can then be used to get a shell.

It looks like this issue is only exploitable if your app is deployed as a war file.

[0]: https://github.com/TheGejr/SpringShell/blob/master/Vulnerabi...

[1]: https://github.com/fengguangbin/spring-rce-war

[2]: https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/blob/mai...

Something else is that very soon after there was a /hint/ of a log4j exploit, we saw rapid and evolving exploitation in the wild. We have nothing like that happening now, since this news first broke, what, 12 hours ago?

Then there’s also the suspicion where I feel the LunaSec people, one of the first groups to report on this, are desperately trying to re-catch the fire they caught when they first reported log4j. I’m sure that was amazing for marketing their company. Problem is, I think reporting on this before there is really indication of a real issue reduces the credibility of them as competent security researchers.

Of course, I may come back to eat my words.

My understanding is as follows.

- Spring uses WebDataBinder [0]. -> CVEs: CVE-2022-22965 (Spring4Shell), CVE-2010-1622 -> CVE Fixes: First deny-list approach (2010), then partial allow-list approach (2022)

- Struts uses OGNL. -> CVEs: CVE-2017-5638 (Equifax breach), and others -> CVE Fixes: deny-list approach (-2017-)

If there are any for Java, can they be used with Spring Boot (Spring Framework)? Maybe there are some for in another programming language?

[0] https://docs.spring.io/spring-framework/docs/current/javadoc... > Special DataBinder for data binding from web request parameters to JavaBean objects.

A new spring release should come out today.

"[11:59 BST] Spring Framework versions 5.3.18 and 5.2.20, which address the vulnerability, are now available on Maven Central. The release process for Spring Boot is in progress, but applications can already upgrade their Spring Framework version independently in order to be protected."

FYI, this is confusing because there are 2 different RCEs that have been published within the last 24 hours. One has a CVE and the other doesn't.

OP's post by Praetorian is discussing the RCE dubbed "Spring4Shell".

It's the RCE without a CVE yet, hence the name, and it affects Spring Core. It's likely fairly widespread/severe, but the "mitigating details" are still unknown.

That said, it's very similar to the Apache Struts vuln that popped EquiFax a few years ago. (a Class Loader Manipulation exploit) So there is already some tooling available to weaponize it.

The other RCE affects Spring Cloud Function and has been given CVE-2022-22963.

We wrote a post[0] with info on both CVEs that references this Praetorian post under the "Remediation" section. We also added more information about the exploit scenarios to help push the ball forward for determining how widely exploitable this is going to be.

(There is a 3rd possible one too, but it's still unconfirmed.)

Basically, the authors of Spring Core tweeted[1] that there wasn't a vuln and that has added to the chaos of this. There is a vuln here. It's not as bad as Log4Shell, but it's still bad and likely widely exploitable given how popular Spring Core is and how some Java devs[2] have confirmed that the exploitable configuration is a "common pattern" in real-world usage.

With the vuln there are more steps required for exploitation. That means kids on Minecraft won't be griefing each other with it, but that won't stop the blackhats from weaponizing this quickly. After all, this is a very similar attack to previous ones in Struts[3].

So if you're using Spring Core or Spring Cloud Function, it's a good idea to stay up-to-date on this stuff because it's moving pretty quick. If you already looked earlier this morning, a lot has changed (like this Praetorian post).

It'll be a fun weekend for security teams everywhere!

0: https://www.lunasec.io/docs/blog/spring-rce-vulnerabilities/

1: https://twitter.com/hacksilon/status/1509117953064812547

2: https://twitter.com/pwntester/status/1509298152691671046

3: https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/33142

The temporary fix that they list seems to imply that the current APIs don't allow specifying a finite list of allowed classes?

Whether logging JSP exploit in JDK 8 or lower can be used is another question. However, since 'class' is accessible via request parameter, it's already bad and there will probably be some ways to exploiting it. It doesn't matter whether the request is GET or POST, as long as mapped controller method uses a non-primitive request object, 'class' can be accessed. 'class.module' attribute is accessible from Java 9 and above, I tested on Java 11 and can access 'class.module'. Sample code that I used to test this with JDK 8 is below. I just tested whether 'class' attribute can be accessed via request parameter.

curl -X POST localhost:8080/test?class.modifiers=Hello

package com.test;

    import org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication;
    import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.SpringBootApplication;
    import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.PostMapping;
    import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RestController;

    @SpringBootApplication
    public class Spring4ShellTestApplication {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
      SpringApplication.run(Spring4ShellTestApplication.class, args);
     }

    }
    @RestController
    class TestController {

    @PostMapping("/test")
     public String test(TestOuterRequest request) {

      String message = "Inner request is null";

      if (request.getInnerRequest() != null) {
       message = "your message was: " + request.getInnerRequest().getMessage();
      }

      System.out.println(message);

      return message;
     }
    }

    class TestOuterRequest {
     private TestInnerRequest innerRequest;

    public TestInnerRequest getInnerRequest() {
      return innerRequest;
     }

    public void setInnerRequest(TestInnerRequest innerRequest) {
      this.innerRequest = innerRequest;
     }
    }

    class TestInnerRequest {
     private String message;

    public String getMessage() {
      return message;
     }

    public void setMessage(String message) {
      this.message = message;
     }
    }

    annotatedInterfaces
    annotatedSuperclass
    annotation
    annotations
    anonymousClass
    array
    canonicalName
    class
    classes
    componentType
    constructors
    declaredAnnotations
    declaredClasses
    declaredConstructors
    declaredFields
    declaredMethods
    declaringClass
    enclosingClass
    enclosingConstructor
    enclosingMethod
    enum
    enumConstants
    fields
    genericInterfaces
    genericSuperclass
    interface
    interfaces
    localClass
    memberClass
    methods
    modifiers
    name
    package
    primitive
    signers
    simpleName
    superclass
    synthetic
    typeName
    typeParameters

Interesting that the CVE has been around for so long.

0: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/new-spring-ja...

You're potentially vulnerable if you use POJOs as request parameters[0] with Spring MVC and Java 9+. To support complex POJOs (like a POJO in a POJO), Spring uses the `.` separator. Therefore, you can have a request GET /somePath?innerPojo.field=foo that will get mapped properly [1].

Now, in [2], the `getCachedIntrospectionResults()` result has a `class` parameter that I believe should not be exposed. In this object, there's a bunch of parameters that can be set, that's where the problem is. In the POC seen across the web today, it was modifying the `AccessLogValve` of Tomcat. The exploit mentioned in [3] relies on passing a parameter like this :

GET /somePath?class.module.classLoader.resources.context.parent.pipeline.first.suffix=.jsp

This will access the `class` object and uses the `getModule` method of the `Class` object to get the `Module` class. Now, this class has the `ClassLoader` exposed via a getter BUT it's exposed as opposed to the `Class` class[4]! In the POC, it's an instance of `WebAppClassLoaderBase` (when using Tomcat, under some circumstances). This class has a `getResources` method that is accessed here, along with `getContext`, `getParent`, etc. all the way up to the last delimiter which invoke the `setSuffix` method of the `AccessLogValve` instance [5]. Rinse and repeat this to set the tone for the JSP vulnerability and you have a RCE.

Now, this needs some specific preconditions. However, there are probably hundred of other mutable objects accessible this way that could lead to pretty nasty bugs, vulnerability of information disclosures.

Finally, I can confirm that the workaround with `@InitBinder` mentioned in [6] works.

EDIT : Looks like a regression from CVE-2010-1622 that was fixed in [7].

[0] https://docs.spring.io/spring-framework/docs/3.2.x/spring-fr...

[1] https://gist.github.com/jebeaudet/127e6fb0b59e06c0642d2f362e...

[2] https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/blob/mai...

[3] https://www.cyberkendra.com/2022/03/spring4shell-details-and...

[4] https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/blob/mai...

[5] https://github.com/Oreste-Luci/apache-tomcat-8.0.26-src/blob...

[6] https://www.cyberkendra.com/2022/03/springshell-rce-0-day-vu...

[7] https://github.com/spring-projects/spring-framework/commit/3...

I think in general it's a bad social standard that people get asked for proof by exploit about disclosed vulnerabilities. At most it should be a tool to convince the vendor if they're not competent enough to see the exploitability right away. In many cases developing it is more work than finding the hole, you're just doing work toward faster weaponisation by bad guys, and distracts from vulnerability research.

I can understand the suspicion. It's the right mindset to have when looking at CVEs, in general, because 99% of them are overblown. The first title I wrote for the blog post was "There is no vuln" but I was wrong. Only after I spent a few hours digging did my gut change my mind.

In this case I wrote the post to discuss 2 different vulns. One was a confirmed RCE with a CVE and the other was a WIP with only sketchy Twitter screenshots to go on. That alone was confusing many people and was the reason many people were posting about finding an "RCE POC" without realizing they were talking about the wrong vuln. That was the primary reason that we (LunaSec) wrote the original post -- to help people understand that there were 2 vulns and that they needed to be careful to confirm which they were discussing. There was too much unwarranted hype, too much confusion, and too little "real" information to prove/disprove if an exploit was possible.

That said, at some point as researchers, we have to trust our gut about potential impact and exploitability without full knowledge of the vuln. With Log4Shell, when we wrote that post, we hadn't personally proven that the JNDI vulnerability could be exploited. It just felt like a matter of time before it would be figured out by somebody much smarter that us. And with this exploit and the people discussing it, it felt like there was likely something there (which has turned out to be true, retroactively).

So that's the line, as researchers, that we have to balance by attempting to provide an "early warning" for companies/devs while also not just sitting for days with the vulnerable code (in this case Spring) to prove out an exploit until a bunch of blackhats already move on to mass exploitation.

Anyway, at this point, people that I trust a lot have come forward to say that they were able to verify the exploit with a POC themselves. Specifically, @pwntester has tweeted about this[0][1] confirming that he's been able to get an exploit. He's a very good Java dev that is much, much faster than myself or anybody else on my team.

--------

In this case, I noticed some people talking about it on Twitter and tried to put together info to help people "prove out" a POC with a "basic vulnerable app". Then I went to bed and looked at this again.

That's when I realized that this was very confusing because there were multiple vulns being conflated in different libs. And then the Spring devs said that this wasn't an issue, but it very much still felt like there was the possibility for an exploit still. It turned out to be "Class Loader Manipulation" instead of "Deserialization injection" but the activity relating to this on Twitter was real.

I sat with my engineers for several hours just poking at getting a POC working and we're very confident that, with a little more time, we'll be able to turn this into a POC like the Struts one. We're just not Java guys so it's slow. Getting a debugger takes time, understanding Spring takes time, etc. There are much more competent devs and researchers out there than us -- we're just trying to reduce the uncertainty and misinformation in a way that helps companies patch faster.

Communicating clearly about hard technical subjects while also writing POCs on-the-fly is difficult, and I apologize if what I wrote came across as more "corporate shill" than "security researcher trying to reduce entropy". That's on me!

0: https://twitter.com/pwntester/status/1509240072301912074

1: https://twitter.com/pwntester/status/1509248853614239747

EDIT: Clarified some text