CVE-2018-17187: Proton j Improper Certificate Validation Vulnerability
HIGHCVE-2018-17187 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.4) improper certificate validation vulnerability (CWE-295: Improper Certificate Validation) affecting Proton j libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves improper certificate validation in proton-j. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 0.30.0.
CVE-2018-17187 at a Glance
Security Impact
CVSS: 7.4
The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N).
How to Fix CVE-2018-17187
To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Proton j dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.
<dependency>
<groupId>org.apache.qpid</groupId>
<artifactId>proton-j</artifactId>
<version>0.30.0</version>
</dependency>Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.qpidHow to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2018-17187, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.qpidAnalyze the terminal output to locate any version of Proton j in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 0.30.0), your application is affected.
Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.qpid 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 Proton j, 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
CVE-2018-17187 Affected Proton j Versions
1 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
org.apache.qpid:proton-j
|
Maven |
≥ 0.3
< 0.30.0
|
0.30.0
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2018-17187?
Which Proton j versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2018-17187?
Is proton-j affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-17187?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-17187?
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2018-17187?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-xvch-r4wf-h8w9",
"modified" : "2024-03-04T21:32:08Z",
"published" : "2018-11-21T22:22:21Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-17187" ],
"summary" : "Improper Certificate Validation in proton-j",
"details" : "The Apache Qpid Proton-J transport includes an optional wrapper layer to perform TLS, enabled by use of the 'transport.ssl(...)' methods. Unless a verification mode was explicitly configured, client and server modes previously defaulted as documented to not verifying a peer certificate, with options to configure this explicitly or select a certificate verification mode with or without hostname verification being performed. The latter hostname verifying mode was not implemented in Apache Qpid Proton-J versions 0.3 to 0.29.0, with attempts to use it resulting in an exception. This left only the option to verify the certificate is trusted, leaving such a client vulnerable to Man In The Middle (MITM) attack. Uses of the Proton-J protocol engine which do not utilise the optional transport TLS wrapper are not impacted, e.g. usage within Qpid JMS. Uses of Proton-J utilising the optional transport TLS wrapper layer that wish to enable hostname verification must be upgraded to version 0.30.0 or later and utilise the VerifyMode#VERIFY_PEER_NAME configuration, which is now the default for client mode usage unless configured otherwise.",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "org.apache.qpid:proton-j"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0.3"
}, {
"fixed" : "0.30.0"
} ]
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"last_known_affected_version_range" : "<= 0.29.0"
}
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-17187"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/apache/qpid-proton-j/commit/0cb8ca03cec42120dcfc434561592d89a89a805e"
}, {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-xvch-r4wf-h8w9"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/PROTON-1962"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/qpid-users/201811.mbox/%3CCAFitrpQSV73Vz7rJYfLJK7gvEymZSCR5ooWUeU8j4jzRydk-eg%40mail.gmail.com%3E"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://qpid.apache.org/cves/CVE-2018-17187.html"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/105935"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-295" ],
"severity" : "HIGH",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T22:04:36Z",
"nvd_published_at" : null
}
}