# CVE-2012-2138: Apache Sling POST Servlets Denial of Service Vulnerability

> Remote attackers can cause a denial of service via infinite loop in Apache Sling POST servlet by copying ancestor nodes to descendants.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.0 (`AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 9 Jul 2012
- **Updated:** 16 Sep 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-342c-f869-5m44

## What is CVE-2012-2138?

CVE-2012-2138 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in n/a, published on 9 Jul 2012. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The @CopyFrom operation in the POST servlet in the org.apache.sling.servlets.post bundle before 2.1.2 in Apache Sling does not prevent attempts to copy an ancestor node to a descendant node, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via a crafted HTTP request.

Weakness: CWE-264

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2012-2138?

2 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.servlets.post. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.servlets.post` | Maven | All versions | 2.1.2 |
| `org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.servlets.post` | Maven | All versions | 2.1.2 |

Products: Apache Org.apache.sling.servlets.post.

## How do I fix CVE-2012-2138?

Upgrade org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.servlets.post to 2.1.2 or later.

## Is CVE-2012-2138 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2012-2138 exists.

Public exploit code:

- Apache Sling - Denial of Service (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in n/a

- [CVE-2013-2254](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2254/): Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer in Apache Sling (medium 5.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2012-2138 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2012-2138 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in n/a, published on 9 Jul 2012. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2012-2138 exists.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.servlets.post (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 2.1.2
- org.apache.sling:org.apache.sling.servlets.post (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 2.1.2

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-2138/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-2138/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2012-2138
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-2138
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2012-2138

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-2138/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.