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Exec MavenApplication · Mojohaus

CVE-2019-20343

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-01-06
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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
The MojoHaus Exec Maven plugin 1.1.1 for Maven allows code execution via a crafted XML document because a configuration element (within a plugin element) can specify an arbitrary program in an executable element (and can also specify arbitrary command-line arguments in an arguments element).

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

The MojoHaus Exec Maven plugin version 1.1.1 allows arbitrary code execution through crafted XML configuration. Attackers can specify arbitrary executables and command-line arguments within the plugin's configuration element, enabling remote code execution on systems processing malicious POM files.

MitigationUpgrade the Exec Maven plugin to a patched version beyond 1.1.1. Additionally, enforce strict validation of POM files from untrusted sources and restrict network access to prevent exploitation via malicious Maven configurations.

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
Exec MavenApplication
Affected:= 1.1.1

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
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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. Locate Exec Maven plugin declarations
    Search all pom.xml files in your project for the groupId 'org.codehaus.mojo' and artifactId 'exec-maven-plugin'. Use grep or your IDE to find these declarations.
    Affected if The plugin is declared with version 1.1.1 or if version is omitted and a vulnerable version is resolved.
  2. Check the plugin version
    Examine the <version> element within the <plugin> section of the POM. If no version is specified, check the effective POM or run 'mvn help:effective-pom' to see the resolved version.
    Affected if The resolved version is exactly 1.1.1.
  3. Inspect plugin configuration for executables
    Look for <configuration> blocks under the exec-maven-plugin that contain <executable> elements. These specify what program to run.
    Affected if An <executable> element is present with an unexpected or suspicious program path.
  4. Review command-line arguments
    Check for <commandlineArgs> or <arguments> elements within the plugin configuration that may specify arbitrary command parameters.
    Affected if Arguments contain suspicious shell commands, scripts, or network calls.

You are affected if your project uses exec-maven-plugin version 1.1.1 and contains executable configurations that could run untrusted commands.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade the Exec Maven plugin to a patched version beyond 1.1.1. Additionally, enforce strict validation of POM files from untrusted sources and restrict network access to prevent exploitation via malicious Maven configurations.

Recommended fix High confidence

org.codehaus.mojo:exec-maven-plugin version 3.1.0 or latest stable

  1. 1. Identify all Maven projects using the Exec Maven plugin version 1.1.1 in their pom.xml files
  2. 2. Locate the <plugin> section containing org.codehaus.mojo:exec-maven-plugin with version 1.1.1
  3. 3. Update the <version> element to 3.1.0 or later (current stable release as of this CVE publication)
  4. 4. Run 'mvn compile' or 'mvn verify' to verify the upgrade does not break the build
  5. 5. If using the plugin in a CI/CD pipeline, update the plugin version in your build configuration files
Caveat Verify that any exec-maven-plugin goals used in your build still function as expected after upgrade

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Exec Maven Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2019-20343 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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