CVE-2020-11986 – CVE-2020-11986 is a critical vulnerability in A... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2020-11986?

CVE-2020-11986 has a CVSS score of 9.8 (CRITICAL). CVE-2020-11986 is a critical vulnerability in Apache NetBeans IDE where Gradle build scripts execute automatically without user consent when loading projects. This allows arbitrary code execution from untrusted sources. Users of Apache NetBeans IDE versions up to 12.0 are affected.

📋 TL;DR

CVE-2020-11986 is a critical vulnerability in Apache NetBeans IDE where Gradle build scripts execute automatically without user consent when loading projects. This allows arbitrary code execution from untrusted sources. Users of Apache NetBeans IDE versions up to 12.0 are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Apache NetBeans IDE

Versions: All versions up to and including 12.0

Operating Systems: Windows, Linux, macOS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects Gradle project loading functionality. Users must load a Gradle project to trigger the vulnerability.

📦 What is this software?

Netbeans by Apache

View all CVEs affecting Netbeans →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Full system compromise through remote code execution when loading malicious Gradle projects, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or complete system takeover.

🟠

Likely Case

Local privilege escalation or malware installation when developers load untrusted Gradle projects from external sources.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if users only load trusted projects or have patched versions.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM - Requires user interaction to load malicious project, but projects can be downloaded from internet sources.

🏢 Internal Only: HIGH - Developers frequently load projects from various sources including internal repositories and external dependencies.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: LOW - Simply loading a malicious Gradle project triggers the vulnerability.

Exploitation requires user interaction to load a malicious Gradle project file.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Apache NetBeans 12.1 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rbb8ea1b684e73107a0a6a30245ad6112bec2e6e171368c808e69217e@%3Cannounce.netbeans.apache.org%3E

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Download Apache NetBeans 12.1 or later from official website. 2. Uninstall previous version. 3. Install new version. 4. Restart system if prompted.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable Gradle project auto-load

all

Prevent automatic execution of Gradle build scripts when loading projects

Not applicable - Configure through NetBeans UI

Use trusted projects only

all

Only load Gradle projects from trusted, verified sources

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Avoid loading Gradle projects from untrusted sources
Use alternative IDEs for Gradle project development until patched

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check NetBeans version: Help → About. If version is 12.0 or earlier, you are vulnerable.

Check Version:

Help → About in NetBeans GUI (no CLI command available)

Verify Fix Applied:

After updating, verify version is 12.1 or later in Help → About. Test loading a Gradle project - you should see consent prompt.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unexpected Gradle build script execution
Project loading without user consent prompts

Network Indicators:

Downloads of Gradle projects from untrusted sources

SIEM Query:

Process execution: netbeans.exe AND command line contains 'gradle' AND user interaction = false

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2020-11986

CVSS v3 Score: 9.8 (CRITICAL)

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

Published: September 9, 2020

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

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