CVE-2023-23612: Opensearch security Issue With Whitespace Vulnerability
MODERATECVE-2023-23612 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.7) issue with whitespace vulnerability (CWE-287: Improper Authentication) affecting Opensearch security libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves issue with whitespace in jwt roles in opensearch. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.3.8, 2.5.0.
CVE-2023-23612 at a Glance
Security Impact
CVSS: 4.7
The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L).
How to Fix CVE-2023-23612
To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Opensearch security 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.opensearch.plugin</groupId>
<artifactId>opensearch-security</artifactId>
<version>1.3.8</version>
</dependency><dependency>
<groupId>org.opensearch.plugin</groupId>
<artifactId>opensearch-security</artifactId>
<version>2.5.0</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.opensearch.pluginHow to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2023-23612, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:
mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.opensearch.pluginAnalyze the terminal output to locate any version of Opensearch security in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.3.8), your application is affected.
Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.opensearch.plugin 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-287: Improper Authentication, where when an actor claims to have a given identity, the product does not prove or insufficiently proves that the claim is correct. In Opensearch security, 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-2023-23612 Affected Opensearch security Versions
2 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
org.opensearch.plugin:opensearch-security
|
Maven |
< 1.3.8
|
1.3.8
|
|
org.opensearch.plugin:opensearch-security
|
Maven |
≥ 2.0.0
< 2.5.0
|
2.5.0
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2023-23612?
Which Opensearch security versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2023-23612?
Is opensearch-security affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2023-23612?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2023-23612?
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2023-23612?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-864v-6qj7-62qj",
"modified" : "2025-01-16T14:07:22Z",
"published" : "2023-01-24T20:47:19Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2023-23612" ],
"summary" : "Issue with whitespace in JWT roles in OpenSearch",
"details" : "### Advisory title: Issue with whitespace in JWT roles\n\n### Affected versions:\nOpenSearch 1.0.0-1.3.7 and 2.0.0-2.4.1\n\n### Patched versions:\nOpenSearch 1.3.8 and 2.5.0\n\n### Impact:\nOpenSearch uses JWTs to store role claims obtained from the Identity Provider (IdP) when the authentication backend is SAML or OpenID Connect. There is an issue in how those claims are processed from the JWTs where the leading and trailing whitespace is trimmed, allowing users to potentially claim roles they are not assigned to if any role matches the whitespace-stripped version of the roles they are a member of.\n\nThis issue is only present for authenticated users, and it requires either the existence of roles that match, not considering leading/trailing whitespace, or the ability for users to create said matching roles. In addition, the Identity Provider must allow leading and trailing spaces in role names.\n\n### Patches:\nOpenSearch versions 1.3.8 and 2.5.0 contain a fix for this issue.\n\n### For more information:\nIf you have any questions or comments about this advisory, please contact AWS/Amazon Security via our issue reporting page (https://aws.amazon.com/security/vulnerability-reporting/) or directly via email to [aws-security@amazon.com](mailto:aws-security@amazon.com). Please do not create a public GitHub issue.",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:L"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "org.opensearch.plugin:opensearch-security"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "1.3.8"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Maven",
"name" : "org.opensearch.plugin:opensearch-security"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "2.0.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "2.5.0"
} ]
} ]
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/opensearch-project/security/security/advisories/GHSA-864v-6qj7-62qj"
}, {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-23612"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/opensearch-project/OpenSearch/releases/tag/2.5.0"
}, {
"type" : "PACKAGE",
"url" : "https://github.com/opensearch-project/security"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-269", "CWE-287" ],
"severity" : "MODERATE",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2023-01-24T20:47:19Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2023-01-26T21:18:00Z"
}
}