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GHSA-jqh6-9574-5x22

CriticalCVSS 9.1 / 10
Published Jan 23, 2023·Last modified Mar 16, 2026
Affected Components(0)

No affected components available

Description

Impact

MITM can enable Zip-Slip.

Vulnerability

Vulnerability 1: Scanner.java

There is no validation that the zip file being unpacked has entries that are not maliciously writing outside of the intended destination directory. https://github.com/hapifhir/org.hl7.fhir.core/blob/8c43e21094af971303131efd081503e5a112db4b/org.hl7.fhir.validation/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/validation/Scanner.java#L335-L357

This zip archive is downloaded over HTTP instead of HTTPS, leaving it vulnerable to compromise in-flight. https://github.com/hapifhir/org.hl7.fhir.core/blob/8c43e21094af971303131efd081503e5a112db4b/org.hl7.fhir.validation/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/validation/Scanner.java#L136

Vulnerability 2: TerminologyCacheManager.java

Note: While these links point to only one implementation, both implementations of TerminologyCacheManager.java are vulnerable to this as their code seems to be duplicated.

  • https://github.com/hapifhir/org.hl7.fhir.core/blob/f58b7acfb5e393cac52cc5bbb170bdb669c2880e/org.hl7.fhir.r5/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/r5/terminologies/TerminologyCacheManager.java
  • https://github.com/hapifhir/org.hl7.fhir.core/blob/f58b7acfb5e393cac52cc5bbb170bdb669c2880e/org.hl7.fhir.r4b/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/r4b/terminologies/TerminologyCacheManager.java

While there is validation in this bit of logic that attempts to validate that the zip file doesn't contain malicious entries that escape the destination directory, the guard is insufficient.

https://github.com/hapifhir/org.hl7.fhir.core/blob/f58b7acfb5e393cac52cc5bbb170bdb669c2880e/org.hl7.fhir.r5/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/r5/terminologies/TerminologyCacheManager.java#L97-L113

This is because the Utilities.path(String... path) method does not normalize the path, although it seems to be attempting to do so. https://github.com/hapifhir/org.hl7.fhir.core/blob/f58b7acfb5e393cac52cc5bbb170bdb669c2880e/org.hl7.fhir.utilities/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/utilities/Utilities.java#L617-L675

The normalization only occurs if the path element starts with a path traversal payload. As an example, calling Utilities.path("/base", "/child/../test") will return the string "/base/child/../test".

This guard logic can, thus, be easily bypassed: https://github.com/hapifhir/org.hl7.fhir.core/blob/f58b7acfb5e393cac52cc5bbb170bdb669c2880e/org.hl7.fhir.r5/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/r5/terminologies/TerminologyCacheManager.java#L100-L104

Assuming an attacker can control the return value of ze.getName(), they can supply a value like /anything/../../../../zipsip-protection-bypass.txt.

Similarly, an attacker can control the contents of the Zip file via a MITM attack as this logic is used with resources not downloaded over HTTPS.

https://github.com/hapifhir/org.hl7.fhir.core/blob/f58b7acfb5e393cac52cc5bbb170bdb669c2880e/org.hl7.fhir.r5/src/main/java/org/hl7/fhir/r5/terminologies/TerminologyCacheManager.java#L66-L73

Patches

Unknown

Workarounds

Unknown

References

  • https://snyk.io/research/zip-slip-vulnerability
Risk Scores
Base Score
9.1

The vulnerability can be exploited over the network without needing physical access. It is easy for an attacker to exploit this vulnerability. An attacker needs high-level or administrative privileges. No user interaction is needed for the attacker to exploit this vulnerability. The vulnerability can affect other systems as well, not just the initial system. There is a high impact on the confidentiality of the information. There is a high impact on the integrity of the data. There is a high impact on the availability of the system.

Threat Intelligence
8.3

Exploitation activity has been observed. Apply available patches or mitigations urgently.

EPSS
1.17%

The exploit probability is very low. The vulnerability is unlikely to be exploited in the next 30 days.

Exploit
Not available

We did not find any exploit available. Neither in GitHub repositories nor in the Exploit-Database.

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