CVE-2020-14718 in GraalVM Enterprise Edition
Summary
by MITRE
Vulnerability in the Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition product of Oracle GraalVM (component: JVMCI). Supported versions that are affected are 19.3.2 and 20.1.0. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows high privileged attacker with network access via multiple protocols to compromise Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 7.2 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/01/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2020-14718 resides within Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition's JVMCI component, representing a critical security flaw that undermines the integrity and availability of the affected systems. This vulnerability specifically affects versions 19.3.2 and 20.1.0 of the enterprise edition, making it particularly concerning for organizations that have deployed these specific releases. The CVSS 3.1 scoring of 7.2 indicates a high severity level with significant impacts across confidentiality, integrity, and availability domains, suggesting that successful exploitation could lead to complete system compromise. The vulnerability's classification as easily exploitable means that attackers with high privilege levels and network access can leverage multiple protocols to execute attacks against the targeted systems.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from the JVMCI (JVM Compiler Interface) component within GraalVM, which serves as a bridge between the Java Virtual Machine and the compiler infrastructure. When an attacker with elevated privileges can access the system through network protocols, they can potentially manipulate the JVMCI interface to gain control over the entire GraalVM execution environment. This type of vulnerability typically involves improper input validation or insufficient access controls within the compiler interface that allows malicious code execution or privilege escalation. The attack vector through multiple protocols suggests that the vulnerability may exist across different communication channels, increasing the attack surface and making it more challenging to secure against such threats.
The operational impact of CVE-2020-14718 extends beyond simple data compromise, as successful exploitation can result in complete takeover of the Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition environment. This scenario presents severe consequences for organizations relying on GraalVM for critical applications, as attackers could potentially gain access to sensitive data, modify system behavior, or disrupt services entirely. The high privilege requirement for exploitation suggests that the vulnerability may be particularly dangerous in environments where administrative access is compromised or where insufficient privilege separation exists between different system components. Organizations using these affected versions face the risk of unauthorized access to their compiled Java applications and the underlying runtime environment, potentially leading to data breaches or service disruption.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations by upgrading to patched versions of Oracle GraalVM Enterprise Edition, as this represents the most effective defense against the vulnerability. The affected versions 19.3.2 and 20.1.0 should be prioritized for replacement with secure releases that address the JVMCI component flaws. Network segmentation and access controls should be strengthened to limit exposure of GraalVM instances to only necessary protocols and trusted networks. Additionally, monitoring systems should be enhanced to detect unusual activity patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, particularly around JVMCI interface usage and privilege escalation activities. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-284 (Improper Access Control) and may map to ATT&CK techniques involving privilege escalation and execution through compromised compiler interfaces, highlighting the need for comprehensive security measures across multiple defensive layers.