CVE-2018-1287: ApacheJMeter Missing Certificate Validation Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-j7j7-g4ww-pxg5
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-347
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-1287 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) missing certificate validation vulnerability (CWE-347: Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature) affecting ApacheJMeter libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves missing certificate validation in apache jmeter. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 4.0.

CVE-2018-1287 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-1287
GHSA Identifier GHSA-j7j7-g4ww-pxg5
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-347: Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature
Affected Product ApacheJMeter
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-2018-1287

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected ApacheJMeter 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.jmeter:ApacheJMeter fixed: 4.0 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.jmeter</groupId>
    <artifactId>ApacheJMeter</artifactId>
    <version>4.0</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.jmeter

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2018-1287, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

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

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of ApacheJMeter in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 4.0), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.jmeter 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-347: Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature, where the product does not verify, or incorrectly verifies, the cryptographic signature for data. In ApacheJMeter, 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

In Apache JMeter 2.X and 3.X, when using Distributed Test only (RMI based), jmeter server binds RMI Registry to wildcard host. This could allow an attacker to get Access to JMeterEngine and send unauthorized code. This only affect those running in Distributed mode. In distributed mode, JMeter makes an architectural assumption that it is operating on a 'safe' network. i.e. everyone with access to the network is considered trusted.

CVE-2018-1287 Affected ApacheJMeter Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
4.0
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.jmeter:ApacheJMeter
maven/org.apache.jmeter/ApacheJMeter
Maven
< 4.0
4.0

References

NVD — CVE-2018-1287 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-1287
ApacheJMeter Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/jmeter/issues/4677
bz.apache.org/bugzilla/show_bug.c... WEB
https://bz.apache.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=62039
ApacheJMeter Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/jmeter
lists.apache.org/thread.html/31e0adb... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/31e0adbeca9d865ff74d0906b2248a41a1457cb54c1afbe5947df58b@%3Cissues.jmeter.apache.org%3E
mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/www-announ... WEB
http://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/www-announce/201802.mbox/%3CCAH9fUpYsFx1%2Brwz1A%3Dmc7wAgbDHARyj1VrWNg41y9OySuL1mqw%40mail.gmail.com%3E

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-1287?
CVE-2018-1287 is a security vulnerability in ApacheJMeter involving Missing certificate validation in Apache JMeter under CWE-347: Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature.
Which ApacheJMeter versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 4.0 across affected packages: org.apache.jmeter:ApacheJMeter.
What version fixes CVE-2018-1287?
Upgrading to 4.0 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is ApacheJMeter affected?
Yes, org.apache.jmeter:ApacheJMeter is affected in releases prior to 4.0. Upgrade your dependency to 4.0 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-1287?
CVE-2018-1287 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-2018-1287?
CVE-2018-1287 is classified under CWE-347: Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature (The product does not verify, or incorrectly verifies, the cryptographic signature for data.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2018-1287?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.jmeter'. 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-j7j7-g4ww-pxg5",
  "modified" : "2022-11-04T20:38:23Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-13T01:49:40Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-1287" ],
  "summary" : "Missing certificate validation in Apache JMeter",
  "details" : "In Apache JMeter 2.X and 3.X, when using Distributed Test only (RMI based), jmeter server binds RMI Registry to wildcard host. This could allow an attacker to get Access to JMeterEngine and send unauthorized code. This only affect those running in Distributed mode.\n\nIn distributed mode, JMeter makes an architectural assumption that it is operating on a 'safe' network. i.e. everyone with access to the network is considered trusted.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.jmeter:ApacheJMeter"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "4.0"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-1287"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/jmeter/issues/4677"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://bz.apache.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=62039"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/jmeter"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/31e0adbeca9d865ff74d0906b2248a41a1457cb54c1afbe5947df58b@%3Cissues.jmeter.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/www-announce/201802.mbox/%3CCAH9fUpYsFx1%2Brwz1A%3Dmc7wAgbDHARyj1VrWNg41y9OySuL1mqw%40mail.gmail.com%3E"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-347" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-11-04T20:38:23Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2018-02-14T14:29:00Z"
  }
}