CVE-2015-0226: High severity apache wss4j vulnerability
Apache WSS4J 1.6.5 contained a countermeasure for Bleichenbacher's attack on XML Encryption, where the PKCS#1 v1.5 Key Transport Algorithm is used to encrypt symmetric keys as part of WS-Security. In particular, the fix avoided leaking information on whether decryption failed when decrypting the encrypted key or decrypting the message data.
However, it is still possible to craft a message such that an attacker can tell where the decryption failure took place, and hence WSS4J is vulnerable to the original attack.
See here for more information on the original fix for WSS4J 1.6.5:
http://cxf.apache.org/note-on-cve-2011-2487.html https://bugzilla.redhat.com/showbug.cgi?id=CVE-2011-2487
This has been fixed in revision:
http://svn.apache.org/viewvc?view=revision&revision=1621329
Other sources
Apache WSS4J before 1.6.17 and 2.0.x before 2.0.2 improperly leaks information about decryption failures when decrypting an encrypted key or message data, which makes it easier for remote attackers to recover the plaintext form of a symmetric key via a series of crafted messages. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2011-2487.
— MITRE
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2015-0226?
CVE-2015-0226 is considered a medium severity vulnerability due to its potential for information leakage.
How do I fix CVE-2015-0226?
To fix CVE-2015-0226, upgrade to Apache WSS4J version 1.6.17 or 2.0.2 or later.
What versions are affected by CVE-2015-0226?
CVE-2015-0226 affects Apache WSS4J versions prior to 1.6.17 and 2.0.x versions before 2.0.2.
What type of vulnerability is CVE-2015-0226?
CVE-2015-0226 is an information disclosure vulnerability related to improper handling of decryption failures.
Who can be impacted by CVE-2015-0226?
Remote attackers can exploit CVE-2015-0226 to recover plaintext symmetric keys from systems using affected versions of Apache WSS4J.