CVE-2023-51775: Jose4j Denial of Service Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-6qvw-249j-h44c
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CVSS 6.5
CWE-400
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2023-51775 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.5) denial of service vulnerability (CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption) affecting Jose4j libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves jose4j denial of service via specifically crafted jwe. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.9.4.

CVE-2023-51775 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2023-51775
GHSA Identifier GHSA-6qvw-249j-h44c
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.5
CWE Classification CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption
Affected Product Jose4j
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

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

How to Fix CVE-2023-51775

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Jose4j 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.bitbucket.b_c:jose4j fixed: 0.9.4 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.bitbucket.b_c</groupId>
    <artifactId>jose4j</artifactId>
    <version>0.9.4</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.bitbucket.b_c

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2023-51775, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.bitbucket.b_c

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Jose4j in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.9.4), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.bitbucket.b_c 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-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption, where the product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource. In Jose4j, 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 jose4j component before 0.9.4 for Java allows attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) via a large p2c (aka PBES2 Count) value.

CVE-2023-51775 Affected Jose4j Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
0.9.4
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.bitbucket.b_c:jose4j
maven/org.bitbucket.b_c/jose4j
Maven
< 0.9.4
0.9.4

References

NVD — CVE-2023-51775 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-51775
bitbucket.org/b_c/jose4j/commits/... WEB
https://bitbucket.org/b_c/jose4j/commits/1afaa1e174b3
bitbucket.org/b_c/jose4j/issues/2... WEB
https://bitbucket.org/b_c/jose4j/issues/212
Jose4j Security Information SECURITY
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20241108-0002

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2023-51775?
CVE-2023-51775 is a security vulnerability in Jose4j involving jose4j denial of service via specifically crafted JWE under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption.
Which Jose4j versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 0.9.4 across affected packages: org.bitbucket.b_c:jose4j.
What version fixes CVE-2023-51775?
Upgrading to 0.9.4 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is jose4j affected?
Yes, org.bitbucket.b_c:jose4j is affected in releases prior to 0.9.4. Upgrade your dependency to 0.9.4 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-51775?
CVE-2023-51775 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.5 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-51775?
CVE-2023-51775 is classified under CWE-400: Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (The product does not properly control the allocation and maintenance of a limited resource.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2023-51775?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.bitbucket.b_c'. 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 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-6qvw-249j-h44c",
  "modified" : "2025-11-04T16:50:03Z",
  "published" : "2024-02-29T03:33:14Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-51775" ],
  "summary" : "jose4j denial of service via specifically crafted JWE",
  "details" : "The jose4j component before 0.9.4 for Java allows attackers to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) via a large p2c (aka PBES2 Count) value.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.bitbucket.b_c:jose4j"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "0.9.4"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-51775"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bitbucket.org/b_c/jose4j/commits/1afaa1e174b3"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bitbucket.org/b_c/jose4j/issues/212"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20241108-0002"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-400" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2024-02-29T20:10:44Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2024-02-29T01:42:05Z"
  }
}