dbcve.org
IonApplication · Amazon

CVE-2024-21634

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-01-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 1.10.5 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Amazon Ion is a Java implementation of the Ion data notation. Prior to version 1.10.5, a potential denial-of-service issue exists in `ion-java` for applications that use `ion-java` to deserialize Ion text encoded data, or deserialize Ion text or binary encoded data into the `IonValue` model and then invoke certain `IonValue` methods on that in-memory representation. An actor could craft Ion data that, when loaded by the affected application and/or processed using the `IonValue` model, results in a `StackOverflowError` originating from the `ion-java` library. The patch is included in `ion-java` 1.10.5. As a workaround, do not load data which originated from an untrusted source or that could have been tampered with.

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

A StackOverflowError vulnerability exists in ion-java versions prior to 1.10.5 when deserializing maliciously crafted Ion text data, or when processing Ion text/binary data through the IonValue model and invoking certain methods. The vulnerability stems from unbounded recursion in the parsing logic, allowing attackers to cause denial of service by providing specially crafted Ion payloads.

MitigationUpgrade ion-java to version 1.10.5 or later. As a workaround, ensure data from untrusted sources is not loaded into applications using ion-java for deserialization.

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
IonApplication
Affected:< 1.10.5

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 ion-java presence
    Search your project dependencies (Maven pom.xml, Gradle build.gradle, or package.json), application classpath, or lib directories for the ion-java library. Also check for any JAR files named 'ion-java' or similar.
    Affected if The ion-java library is present in your environment
  2. Determine ion-java version
    Check the version in your dependency management file, the JAR file name (ion-java-X.X.X.jar), or inspect the library's metadata. If accessible, run: java -jar ion-java.jar or check the MANIFEST.MF inside the JAR.
    Affected if The installed version is prior to 1.10.5 (any version below 1.10.5)
  3. Identify Ion data processing paths
    Review your codebase for usage of IonReader, IonWriter, and IonValue APIs. Specifically look for deserialization calls like IonReaderBuilder, IonValue.load(), or similar Ion parsing methods that process input data.
    Affected if Your application parses or deserializes Ion text or binary data from any source
  4. Assess trust boundary of Ion input
    Examine whether Ion data originates from untrusted sources such as user uploads, external APIs, network sockets, or deserialized data from untrusted payloads.
    Affected if Ion data from untrusted or external sources is processed by ion-java
  5. Check for IonValue model usage with method invocations
    Search code for IonValue object creation and subsequent method calls on those objects, as the vulnerability triggers through the IonValue model path.
    Affected if IonValue model objects are created and methods are invoked on them with potentially malicious data

You are affected if ion-java version is below 1.10.5 AND your application processes Ion text or binary data, especially from untrusted sources or through the IonValue model.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 1.10.5 or later
Fixed in 1.10.5
Interim mitigation

Upgrade ion-java to version 1.10.5 or later. As a workaround, ensure data from untrusted sources is not loaded into applications using ion-java for deserialization.

Recommended fix High confidence

ion-java 1.10.5 or later

  1. 1. Identify the current version of ion-java in your project by examining your dependency management files (e.g., pom.xml for Maven, build.gradle for Gradle).
  2. 2. Update the ion-java dependency to version 1.10.5 or later.
  3. 3. For Maven, update the dependency in pom.xml: change the version to 1.10.5 or use '1.10.5 or later' syntax.
  4. 4. For Gradle, update the dependency in build.gradle: change to 'implementation "com.amazon.ion:ion-java:1.10.5"' or use a dynamic version like '1.10.5+'
  5. 5. Rebuild and test your application to ensure the upgrade does not break existing functionality.
  6. 6. Redeploy the updated application.

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

Fix this in Ion Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $860
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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-2024-21634 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