Description
A critical unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability was found all recent versions of Apache Tapestry. The affected versions include 5.4.5, 5.5.0, 5.6.2 and 5.7.0. The vulnerability I have found is a bypass of the fix for CVE-2019-0195. Recap: Before the fix of CVE-2019-0195 it was possible to download arbitrary class files from the classpath by providing a crafted asset file URL. An attacker was able to download the file `AppModule.class` by requesting the URL `http://localhost:8080/assets/something/services/AppModule.class` which contains a HMAC secret key. The fix for that bug was a blacklist filter that checks if the URL ends with `.class`, `.properties` or `.xml`. Bypass: Unfortunately, the blacklist solution can simply be bypassed by appending a `/` at the end of the URL: `http://localhost:8080/assets/something/services/AppModule.class/` The slash is stripped after the blacklist check and the file `AppModule.class` is loaded into the response. This class usually contains the HMAC secret key which is used to sign serialized Java objects. With the knowledge of that key an attacker can sign a Java gadget chain that leads to RCE (e.g. CommonsBeanUtils1 from ysoserial). Solution for this vulnerability: * For Apache Tapestry 5.4.0 to 5.6.1, upgrade to 5.6.2 or later. * For Apache Tapestry 5.7.0, upgrade to 5.7.1 or later.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apache Software Foundation | Apache Tapestry | Apache Tapestry 5.5.0, Apache Tapestry 5.7.0, Apache Tapestry 5.4.5 – < Apache Tapestry 5.4.0*, Apache Tapestry 5.6.2 – < Apache Tapestry 5.6.0* | Apache Tapestry 5.4.0* |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Metasploit 1 module
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Apache Tapestry HMAC secret key leak
auxiliary/gather/cve_2021_27850_apache_tapestry_hmac_key
GitHub 4 repositories
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kahla-sec/CVE-2021-27850_POC ★ 5 · Jun 25, 2021
A Proof of concept for CVE-2021-27850 affecting Apache Tapestry and leading to unauthencticated remote code execution.
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dorkerdevil/CVE-2021-27850_POC ★ 3 · Jun 26, 2021
A Proof of concept for CVE-2021-27850 affecting Apache Tapestry and leading to unauthencticated remote code execution.
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Ovi3/CVE_2021_27850_POC ★ 2 · Jul 2, 2021
Apache Tapestry CVE-2021-27850 PoC
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novysodope/CVE-2021-27850 ★ 0 · Jul 7, 2022
CVE-2021-27850 ysoserial
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Automated scanner template
A ready-made Nuclei template detects this vulnerability automatically. Vulnerabilities with public scanner templates are typically probed across the internet soon after the template appears — exposed systems should be patched first.
- Apache Tapestry - Remote Code Execution http/cves/2021/CVE-2021-27850.yaml
Source: projectdiscovery/nuclei-templates (MIT) — updated daily. Only links are listed.
Affected packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Affected | Fixed | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maven | org.apache.tapestry:tapestry-core | >= 5.4.0, < 5.6.3 | 5.6.3 | GHSA-mj8x-cpr8-x39h |
| Maven | org.apache.tapestry:tapestry-core | >= 5.7.0, < 5.7.1 | 5.7.1 | GHSA-mj8x-cpr8-x39h |