CVE-2012-0803: Cxf Improper Authentication Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-2p7x-jcr3-7p2c
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-287
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2012-0803 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) improper authentication vulnerability (CWE-287: Improper Authentication) affecting Cxf libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves improper authentication in apache cxf. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.4.6, 2.5.2.

CVE-2012-0803 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2012-0803
GHSA Identifier GHSA-2p7x-jcr3-7p2c
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-287: Improper Authentication
Affected Product Cxf
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality High (C:H)
Integrity High (I:H)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2012-0803

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Cxf dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

org.apache.cxf:cxf fixed: 2.4.6 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.cxf</groupId>
    <artifactId>cxf</artifactId>
    <version>2.4.6</version>
</dependency>
org.apache.cxf:cxf fixed: 2.5.2 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.cxf</groupId>
    <artifactId>cxf</artifactId>
    <version>2.5.2</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.cxf

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2012-0803, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.cxf

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Cxf in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.4.6), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.cxf command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-287: Improper Authentication, where when an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct. In Cxf, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

The WS-SP UsernameToken policy in Apache CXF 2.4.5 and 2.5.1 allows remote attackers to bypass authentication by sending an empty UsernameToken as part of a SOAP request.

CVE-2012-0803 Affected Cxf Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.4.62.5.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.cxf:cxf
maven/org.apache.cxf/cxf
Maven
≥ 2.4.0
< 2.4.6
2.4.6
org.apache.cxf:cxf
maven/org.apache.cxf/cxf
Maven
≥ 2.5.0
< 2.5.2
2.5.2

References

NVD — CVE-2012-0803 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-0803
Cxf Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/cxf
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r36e44f... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r36e44ffc1a9b365327df62cdfaabe85b9a5637de102cea07d79b2dbf%40%3Ccommits.cxf.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r36e44f... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r36e44ffc1a9b365327df62cdfaabe85b9a5637de102cea07d79b2dbf@%3Ccommits.cxf.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rc77427... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rc774278135816e7afc943dc9fc78eb0764f2c84a2b96470a0187315c%40%3Ccommits.cxf.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rc77427... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rc774278135816e7afc943dc9fc78eb0764f2c84a2b96470a0187315c@%3Ccommits.cxf.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rd49aab... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rd49aabd984ed540c8ff7916d4d79405f3fa311d2fdbcf9ed307839a6%40%3Ccommits.cxf.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rd49aab... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rd49aabd984ed540c8ff7916d4d79405f3fa311d2fdbcf9ed307839a6@%3Ccommits.cxf.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rec7160... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rec7160382badd3ef4ad017a22f64a266c7188b9ba71394f0d321e2d4%40%3Ccommits.cxf.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rec7160... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rec7160382badd3ef4ad017a22f64a266c7188b9ba71394f0d321e2d4@%3Ccommits.cxf.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rfb87e0... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rfb87e0bf3995e7d560afeed750fac9329ff5f1ad49da365129b7f89e%40%3Ccommits.cxf.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rfb87e0... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rfb87e0bf3995e7d560afeed750fac9329ff5f1ad49da365129b7f89e@%3Ccommits.cxf.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rff42cf... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rff42cfa5e7d75b7c1af0e37589140a8f1999e578a75738740b244bd4%40%3Ccommits.cxf.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rff42cf... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rff42cfa5e7d75b7c1af0e37589140a8f1999e578a75738740b244bd4@%3Ccommits.cxf.apache.org%3E
marc.info/ WEB
https://marc.info/?l=full-disclosure&m=132861746008002
svn.apache.org/viewvc WEB
https://svn.apache.org/viewvc?view=revision&revision=1233457

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2012-0803?
CVE-2012-0803 is a security vulnerability in Cxf involving Improper Authentication in Apache CXF under CWE-287: Improper Authentication.
Which Cxf versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.4.6, 2.5.2 across affected packages: org.apache.cxf:cxf.
What version fixes CVE-2012-0803?
Upgrading to 2.4.6, 2.5.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is cxf affected?
Yes, org.apache.cxf:cxf is affected in releases prior to 2.4.6, 2.5.2. Upgrade your dependency to 2.4.6, 2.5.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2012-0803?
CVE-2012-0803 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2012-0803?
CVE-2012-0803 is classified under CWE-287: Improper Authentication (When an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2012-0803?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.cxf'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
{
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  "id" : "GHSA-2p7x-jcr3-7p2c",
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  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:09:22Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2012-0803" ],
  "summary" : "Improper Authentication in Apache CXF",
  "details" : "The WS-SP UsernameToken policy in Apache CXF 2.4.5 and 2.5.1 allows remote attackers to bypass authentication by sending an empty UsernameToken as part of a SOAP request.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
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      }, {
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  "references" : [ {
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    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-0803"
  }, {
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  }, {
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  }, {
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  }, {
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  }, {
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  }, {
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    "nvd_published_at" : "2017-08-08T21:29:00Z"
  }
}