CVE-2022-33681: Pulsar client Improper Certificate Validation Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-c5fp-x2h5-vjv7
CVSS 5.9
CWE-295
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2022-33681 is a MODERATE (CVSS 5.9) improper certificate validation vulnerability (CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation) affecting Pulsar client libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves apache pulsar java client vulnerable to improper certificate validation. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.7.5, 2.8.4, 2.9.3, 2.10.1.

CVE-2022-33681 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2022-33681
GHSA Identifier GHSA-c5fp-x2h5-vjv7
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 5.9
CWE Classification CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation
Affected Product Pulsar client
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 5.9

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

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

How to Fix CVE-2022-33681

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Pulsar client 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.pulsar:pulsar-client fixed: 2.7.5
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.pulsar</groupId>
    <artifactId>pulsar-client</artifactId>
    <version>2.7.5</version>
</dependency>
org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-client fixed: 2.8.4
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.pulsar</groupId>
    <artifactId>pulsar-client</artifactId>
    <version>2.8.4</version>
</dependency>
org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-client fixed: 2.9.3
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.pulsar</groupId>
    <artifactId>pulsar-client</artifactId>
    <version>2.9.3</version>
</dependency>
org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-client fixed: 2.10.1
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.pulsar</groupId>
    <artifactId>pulsar-client</artifactId>
    <version>2.10.1</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.pulsar

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2022-33681, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

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

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Pulsar client in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.7.5), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.pulsar 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-295: Improper Certificate Validation, where the product does not validate, or incorrectly validates, a certificate. In Pulsar client, 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

Delayed TLS hostname verification in the Pulsar Java Client and the Pulsar Proxy make each client vulnerable to a man in the middle attack. Connections from the Pulsar Java Client to the Pulsar Broker/Proxy and connections from the Pulsar Proxy to the Pulsar Broker are vulnerable. Authentication data is sent before verifying the server’s TLS certificate matches the hostname, which means authentication data could be exposed to an attacker. An attacker can only take advantage of this vulnerability by taking control of a machine 'between' the client and the server. The attacker must then actively manipulate traffic to perform the attack by providing the client with a cryptographically valid certificate for an unrelated host. Because the client sends authentication data before performing hostname verification, an attacker could gain access to the client’s authentication data. The client eventually closes the connection when it verifies the hostname and identifies the targeted hostname does not match a hostname on the certificate. Because the client eventually closes the connection, the value of the intercepted authentication data depends on the authentication method used by the client. Token based authentication and username/password authentication methods are vulnerable because the authentication data can be used to impersonate the client in a separate session. This issue affects Apache Pulsar Java Client versions 2.7.0 to 2.7.4; 2.8.0 to 2.8.3; 2.9.0 to 2.9.2; 2.10.0; 2.6.4 and earlier.

CVE-2022-33681 Affected Pulsar client Versions

4 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.7.52.8.42.9.32.10.1
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-client
Maven
< 2.7.5
2.7.5
org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-client
Maven
≥ 2.8.0
< 2.8.4
2.8.4
org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-client
Maven
≥ 2.9.0
< 2.9.3
2.9.3
org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-client
Maven
≥ 2.10.0
< 2.10.1
All 1 versions
2.10.0
2.10.1

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2022-33681?
CVE-2022-33681 is a security vulnerability in Pulsar client involving Apache Pulsar Java Client vulnerable to Improper Certificate Validation under CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation.
Which Pulsar client versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.7.5, 2.8.4, 2.9.3, 2.10.1 across affected packages: org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-client.
What version fixes CVE-2022-33681?
Upgrading to 2.7.5, 2.8.4, 2.9.3, 2.10.1 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is pulsar-client affected?
Yes, org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-client is affected in releases prior to 2.7.5, 2.8.4, 2.9.3, 2.10.1. Upgrade your dependency to 2.7.5, 2.8.4, 2.9.3, 2.10.1 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2022-33681?
CVE-2022-33681 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.9 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2022-33681?
CVE-2022-33681 is classified under CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation (The product does not validate, or incorrectly validates, a certificate.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2022-33681?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.pulsar'. 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
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-c5fp-x2h5-vjv7",
  "modified" : "2022-09-30T00:00:47Z",
  "published" : "2022-09-25T00:00:27Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2022-33681" ],
  "summary" : "Apache Pulsar Java Client vulnerable to Improper Certificate Validation",
  "details" : "Delayed TLS hostname verification in the Pulsar Java Client and the Pulsar Proxy make each client vulnerable to a man in the middle attack. Connections from the Pulsar Java Client to the Pulsar Broker/Proxy and connections from the Pulsar Proxy to the Pulsar Broker are vulnerable. Authentication data is sent before verifying the server’s TLS certificate matches the hostname, which means authentication data could be exposed to an attacker. An attacker can only take advantage of this vulnerability by taking control of a machine 'between' the client and the server. The attacker must then actively manipulate traffic to perform the attack by providing the client with a cryptographically valid certificate for an unrelated host. Because the client sends authentication data before performing hostname verification, an attacker could gain access to the client’s authentication data. The client eventually closes the connection when it verifies the hostname and identifies the targeted hostname does not match a hostname on the certificate. Because the client eventually closes the connection, the value of the intercepted authentication data depends on the authentication method used by the client. Token based authentication and username/password authentication methods are vulnerable because the authentication data can be used to impersonate the client in a separate session. This issue affects Apache Pulsar Java Client versions 2.7.0 to 2.7.4; 2.8.0 to 2.8.3; 2.9.0 to 2.9.2; 2.10.0; 2.6.4 and earlier.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-client"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.7.5"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-client"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.8.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.8.4"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-client"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.9.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.9.3"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.pulsar:pulsar-client"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.10.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.10.1"
      } ]
    } ],
    "versions" : [ "2.10.0" ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-33681"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/pulsar/tree/db26073728bf86fc80deecaece2dc02b50bbb9b5/pulsar-client"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread/fpo6x10trvn20hlk0dmnr5vlz5v4kl3d"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-295" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-09-30T00:00:47Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2022-09-23T10:15:00Z"
  }
}