CVE-2014-2857
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThe default configuration of the Resources plugin 1.0.0 before 1.2.6 for Pivotal Grails 2.0.0 through 2.3.6 does not properly restrict access to files in the META-INF directory, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information via a direct request. NOTE: this issue was SPLIT from CVE-2014-0053 due to different researchers per ADT5.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceThe Resources plugin for Pivotal Grails versions 2.0.0 through 2.3.6 with plugin versions before 1.2.6 has a default configuration that fails to restrict access to files in the META-INF directory, allowing remote attackers to directly request and obtain potentially sensitive information stored in that directory.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data= 1.0.0= 1.0.2= 1.1.0= 1.1.1= 1.1.2= 1.1.4= 1.1.5= 1.1.6= 1.2.0= 1.2.1= 1.2.2= 1.2.3= 2.0.0= 2.0.1= 2.0.2= 2.0.3= 2.0.4= 2.1.0= 2.1.1= 2.1.2= 2.1.3= 2.1.4= 2.1.5= 2.2.0CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify the Grails Resources plugin versionInspect your project's build configuration file (BuildConfig.groovy or build.gradle) and locate the resources plugin dependency declaration. Extract the version number from the plugin coordinate.Affected if The plugin version is 1.2.5 or earlier (1.0.0 through 1.2.5 are affected)
-
Identify the Grails framework versionInspect the same build configuration file (BuildConfig.groovy for Grails 2.x) and locate the grails version declaration. Extract the framework version number.Affected if The Grails framework version is 2.0.0 through 2.3.6 (these bundled the vulnerable plugin)
-
Verify the Resources plugin is actually loadedCheck your application's runtime for the presence of the Resources plugin by inspecting the target directory (such as target/work/plugins/resources-*/) or by checking the application startup logs for the Resources plugin initialization.Affected if The Resources plugin is loaded in the application and the version is in the affected range
-
Check for META-INF access control configurationInspect the Resources plugin configuration file (typically in grails-app/conf/ or a resources.groovy configuration file). Look for any URL mapping rules or filter configurations that explicitly allow or deny access to /META-INF/** paths.Affected if There is no explicit deny rule for /META-INF/** paths in the Resources plugin configuration, meaning the default permissive behavior is in effect
You are affected if your Grails application uses the Resources plugin versions 1.2.5 or earlier (or Grails 2.0.0-2.3.6 which bundled it) AND lacks an explicit access control rule denying requests to the META-INF directory.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpgrade the Grails Resources plugin to version 1.2.6 or later, or configure explicit access controls to deny requests to the META-INF directory.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-2857 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2014-2857 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data