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JettyApplication · Eclipse

CVE-2018-12538

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-06-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 11.40 or later.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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 · unedited
In Eclipse Jetty versions 9.4.0 through 9.4.8, when using the optional Jetty provided FileSessionDataStore for persistent storage of HttpSession details, it is possible for a malicious user to access/hijack other HttpSessions and even delete unmatched HttpSessions present in the FileSystem's storage for the FileSessionDataStore.

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 confidence

Eclipse Jetty 9.4.0-9.4.8 contains an insecure direct object reference vulnerability in the optional FileSessionDataStore. When enabled for persistent HttpSession storage, the feature lacks proper access control checks, allowing any authenticated user to read, hijack, or delete session files belonging to other users stored in the filesystem.

MitigationUpgrade to Jetty 9.4.9 or later, or disable the FileSessionDataStore if persistent session storage is not required. If FileSessionDataStore must be used, implement additional file system-level access controls.

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
JettyApplication
Affected:>= 9.4.0, <= 9.4.8
E Series Santricity Management Plug InsApplication
Affected:all versions
E Series Santricity Os ControllerApplication
Affected:>= 11.0, <= 11.40
E Series Santricity Web Services ProxyApplication
Affected:all versions
Element SoftwareApplication
Affected:all versions
Hyper Converged InfrastructureApplication
Affected:all versions
Oncommand System ManagerApplication
Affected:>= 3.0.0, <= 3.1.3
Oncommand Unified ManagerApplication
Affected:all versions

CVSS 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
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify the Jetty version
    Check the jetty-version.jar or run: java -jar start.jar --version. Alternatively, examine the jetty-distribution or the lib/jetty-server-*.jar file name for the version number.
    Affected if The installed Jetty version is 9.4.0 through 9.4.8 inclusive.
  2. Locate session persistence configuration
    Search for context XML files (*.xml) in the $JETTY_HOME/webapps/ and $JETTY_BASE/contexts/ directories. Also check WEB-INF/web.xml for session-config elements. Look for files referencing SessionDataStore orPersistent sessions.
    Affected if Session persistence is configured using FileSessionDataStore.
  3. Check for FileSessionDataStore in configuration
    Examine context XML files and jetty-web.xml for the presence of the FileSessionDataStore class: org.eclipse.jetty.server.session.FileSessionDataStore. Also check for <sessionDataStore> elements in the configuration.
    Affected if FileSessionDataStore is explicitly configured or referenced in the session configuration.
  4. Verify session data directory permissions and location
    If FileSessionDataStore is in use, locate the session directory (typically set via sessionDataStoreRoot or temp directory). Check if multiple web applications share the same session storage directory without isolation.
    Affected if Multiple web applications share a session storage directory and users can access session files of other users.
  5. For NetApp products, identify bundled Jetty version
    On affected NetApp products (E Series Santricity, Element Software, Oncommand), locate the embedded Jetty jars. Check product-specific paths: typically under /opt/ or the product's lib directory. Identify jetty-server-*.jar files and extract version info.
    Affected if The bundled Jetty version is 9.4.0-9.4.8 and the product exposes HTTP sessions via the Jetty server.

You are affected if running Jetty 9.4.0-9.4.8 with FileSessionDataStore enabled for persistent HttpSession storage, or if a NetApp product bundles a vulnerable Jetty version and exposes web-based session management.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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 data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 11.40
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Jetty 9.4.9 or later, or disable the FileSessionDataStore if persistent session storage is not required. If FileSessionDataStore must be used, implement additional file system-level access controls.

Fix this in Jetty Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-12538 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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