# CVE-2020-27822: Wildfly has a memory leak vulnerability

> An attacker can cause a memory leak in WildFly when OpenTracing java-interceptors are used, leading to server unavailability.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.9 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 8 Dec 2020
- **Updated:** 4 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** BIT-wildfly-2020-27822, GHSA-qx3p-9mmp-4v8h

## What is CVE-2020-27822?

CVE-2020-27822 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in wildfly, published on 8 Dec 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A flaw was found in Wildfly affecting versions 19.0.0.Final, 19.1.0.Final, 20.0.0.Final, 20.0.1.Final, and 21.0.0.Final. When an application uses the OpenTracing API's java-interceptors, there is a possibility of a memory leak. This flaw allows an attacker to impact the availability of the server. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.

Weakness: CWE-401 (Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2020-27822?

5 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.wildfly:wildfly-parent and wildfly. It affects 1 product.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `org.wildfly:wildfly-parent` | Maven | From 19.0.0.Final | 21.0.2.Final |
| `org.wildfly:wildfly-parent` | Maven | From 19.0.0.Final | 21.0.2.Final |
| `org.wildfly:wildfly-parent` | Maven | From 22.0.0.Alpha1 | 22.0.0.Beta1 |
| `org.wildfly:wildfly-parent` | Maven | From 22.0.0.Alpha1 | 22.0.0.Beta1 |
| `wildfly` | Bitnami | From 19.0.0 | 19.0.1, 19.1.1, 20.0.1, 20.0.2, 21.0.1 |

Products: Redhat Wildfly.

## How do I fix CVE-2020-27822?

Upgrade org.wildfly:wildfly-parent to a fixed version for your release line: 21.0.2.Final or 22.0.0.Beta1.

## Is CVE-2020-27822 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-27822 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in wildfly

- [CVE-2018-10683](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-10683/): Auth bypass in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2020-10740](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-10740/): Wildfly Unsafe Deserialization Vulnerability (medium 6.6)
- [CVE-2020-1719](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1719/): Privilege Context Switching Error in wildlfy (medium 5.4)
- [CVE-2020-25640](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-25640/): Wildfly logs plaintext passwords (medium 5.3)
- [CVE-2018-14627](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-14627/): Security feature bypass in JBoss/WildFly (medium 5.3)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2020-27822 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2020-27822 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in wildfly, published on 8 Dec 2020. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2020-27822 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- org.wildfly:wildfly-parent (Maven): affected from 19.0.0.Final; fixed in 21.0.2.Final
- org.wildfly:wildfly-parent (Maven): affected from 19.0.0.Final; fixed in 21.0.2.Final
- org.wildfly:wildfly-parent (Maven): affected from 22.0.0.Alpha1; fixed in 22.0.0.Beta1
- org.wildfly:wildfly-parent (Maven): affected from 22.0.0.Alpha1; fixed in 22.0.0.Beta1
- wildfly (Bitnami): affected from 19.0.0; fixed in 19.0.1, 19.1.1, 20.0.1, 20.0.2, 21.0.1

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-2020-27822/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-27822/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2020-27822
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-27822
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2020-27822

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-27822/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.