CVE-2020-27225
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows an unauthenticated local attacker to send active help commands to Eclipse Platform processes, potentially executing arbitrary code or commands. It affects Eclipse Platform versions 4.18 and earlier, including Eclipse Rich Client Platform installations. The attack requires local access to the system where Eclipse is running.
💻 Affected Systems
- Eclipse Platform
- Eclipse Rich Client Platform (RCP)
📦 What is this software?
Platform by Eclipse
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Local privilege escalation leading to complete system compromise via arbitrary code execution in Eclipse process context.
Likely Case
Local user could execute commands or manipulate Eclipse functionality, potentially leading to data theft, system manipulation, or denial of service.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation and local user restrictions, though local attackers could still affect Eclipse functionality.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access and knowledge of Eclipse's help server port/interface. No authentication needed once local access is obtained.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Eclipse Platform 4.19 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=569855
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Download Eclipse Platform 4.19 or later from eclipse.org. 2. Install the new version. 3. Restart all Eclipse instances. 4. Verify version with Help > About Eclipse.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Help Subsystem
allPrevent the help web server from starting by disabling the help subsystem.
Add -nohelp to Eclipse startup arguments
Block Local Help Port
allUse firewall rules to block access to Eclipse's help server port (typically 8080 or similar).
sudo ufw deny from 127.0.0.1 to any port 8080 (Linux)
netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="Block Eclipse Help" dir=in action=block protocol=TCP localport=8080 (Windows)
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict local user access to systems running Eclipse
- Disable Eclipse help functionality via configuration or startup parameters
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Eclipse version via Help > About Eclipse. If version is 4.18 or earlier, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
In Eclipse: Help > About Eclipse > Installation Details > Configuration tabVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Eclipse version is 4.19 or later via Help > About Eclipse. Confirm help subsystem is properly authenticated.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unexpected help server requests
- Unauthenticated connections to Eclipse help port
Network Indicators:
- Local connections to Eclipse help server port (typically 8080) without authentication
SIEM Query:
source="eclipse.log" AND "help server" AND "unauthenticated" OR destination_port=8080 AND source_ip=127.0.0.1 AND protocol=TCP