CVE-2018-5382: Bouncy Castle Improper Validation Of Integrity Check Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-8477-3v39-ggpm
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CVSS 4.4
CWE-354
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-5382 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.4) improper validation of integrity check vulnerability (CWE-354: Improper Validation of Integrity Check Value) affecting Bouncy Castle libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves improper validation of integrity check value in bouncy castle. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.50.

CVE-2018-5382 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-5382
GHSA Identifier GHSA-8477-3v39-ggpm
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.4
CWE Classification CWE-354: Improper Validation of Integrity Check Value
Affected Product Bouncy Castle
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.4

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2018-5382

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Bouncy Castle 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.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk15on fixed: 1.50 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.bouncycastle</groupId>
    <artifactId>bcprov-jdk15on</artifactId>
    <version>1.50</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.bouncycastle

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2018-5382, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.bouncycastle

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Bouncy Castle in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.50), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.bouncycastle 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-354: Improper Validation of Integrity Check Value, where the product does not validate or incorrectly validates the integrity check values or "checksums" of a message. this may prevent it from detecting if the data has been modified or corrupted in transmission. In Bouncy Castle, 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 default BKS keystore use an HMAC that is only 16 bits long, which can allow an attacker to compromise the integrity of a BKS keystore. Bouncy Castle release 1.47 changes the BKS format to a format which uses a 160 bit HMAC instead. This applies to any BKS keystore generated prior to BC 1.47. For situations where people need to create the files for legacy reasons a specific keystore type "BKS-V1" was introduced in 1.49. It should be noted that the use of "BKS-V1" is discouraged by the library authors and should only be used where it is otherwise safe to do so, as in where the use of a 16 bit checksum for the file integrity check is not going to cause a security issue in itself.

CVE-2018-5382 Affected Bouncy Castle Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.50
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk15on
maven/org.bouncycastle/bcprov-jdk15on
Maven
< 1.50
1.50

References

NVD — CVE-2018-5382 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-5382
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2018:29... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2927
Bouncy Castle Release RELEASE
https://www.bouncycastle.org/releasenotes.html
www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/306792 WEB
https://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/306792
Bouncy Castle Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2020.html
Bouncy Castle Security Information SECURITY
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/103453

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-5382?
CVE-2018-5382 is a security vulnerability in Bouncy Castle involving Improper Validation of Integrity Check Value in Bouncy Castle under CWE-354: Improper Validation of Integrity Check Value.
Which Bouncy Castle versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.50 across affected packages: org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk15on.
What version fixes CVE-2018-5382?
Upgrading to 1.50 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is bcprov-jdk15on affected?
Yes, org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk15on is affected in releases prior to 1.50. Upgrade your dependency to 1.50 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-5382?
CVE-2018-5382 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.4 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-5382?
CVE-2018-5382 is classified under CWE-354: Improper Validation of Integrity Check Value (The product does not validate or incorrectly validates the integrity check values or "checksums" of a message. This may prevent it from detecting if the data has been modified or corrupted in transmission.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2018-5382?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.bouncycastle'. 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-8477-3v39-ggpm",
  "modified" : "2022-06-28T23:51:50Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:01:01Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-5382" ],
  "summary" : "Improper Validation of Integrity Check Value in Bouncy Castle",
  "details" : "The default BKS keystore use an HMAC that is only 16 bits long, which can allow an attacker to compromise the integrity of a BKS keystore. Bouncy Castle release 1.47 changes the BKS format to a format which uses a 160 bit HMAC instead. This applies to any BKS keystore generated prior to BC 1.47. For situations where people need to create the files for legacy reasons a specific keystore type \"BKS-V1\" was introduced in 1.49. It should be noted that the use of \"BKS-V1\" is discouraged by the library authors and should only be used where it is otherwise safe to do so, as in where the use of a 16 bit checksum for the file integrity check is not going to cause a security issue in itself.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.bouncycastle:bcprov-jdk15on"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "1.50"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-5382"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2927"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.bouncycastle.org/releasenotes.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/306792"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2020.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/103453"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-354" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-06-28T23:51:50Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-04-16T14:29:00Z"
  }
}