Vulnerabilities in pkg:maven/com.typesafe.akka/akka-actor_2.11

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Advisory Identifier: GHSA-mr95-9rr4-668f
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Advisory Summary

CVE-2018-16115 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.1) cryptographically weak pseudo-random number generator vulnerability (CWE-338: Use of Cryptographically Weak Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG)) affecting Akka actor 2.11 libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves cryptographically weak pseudo-random number generator (prng) in akka-actor. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 2.5.16.

1 Known Advisory Record(s)
Package Vulnerability Intelligence

pkg:maven/com.typesafe.akka/akka-actor_2.11

1 Known Advisory Record(s)

Vulnerability advisories affecting package pkg:maven/com.typesafe.akka/akka-actor_2.11. Select an advisory below to view technical details or fixes.

Advisory ID CVE / NVD Severity Summary
GHSA-mr95-9rr4-668f CVE-2018-16115 CRITICAL Cryptographically Weak Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG) in akka-actor

CVE-2018-16115 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2018-16115
GHSA Identifier GHSA-mr95-9rr4-668f
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.1
CWE Classification CWE-338: Use of Cryptographically Weak Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG)
Affected Product Akka actor 2.11
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.1

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:N).

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 None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2018-16115

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Akka actor 2.11 dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

com.typesafe.akka:akka-actor_2.11 fixed: 2.5.16 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.typesafe.akka</groupId>
    <artifactId>akka-actor_2.11</artifactId>
    <version>2.5.16</version>
</dependency>
com.typesafe.akka:akka-actor_2.12 fixed: 2.5.16 
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.typesafe.akka</groupId>
    <artifactId>akka-actor_2.12</artifactId>
    <version>2.5.16</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=com.typesafe.akka

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2018-16115, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.typesafe.akka

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Akka actor 2.11 in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 2.5.16), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.typesafe.akka 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-338: Use of Cryptographically Weak Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG), where the product uses a pseudo-random number generator (prng) in a security context, but the prng's algorithm is not cryptographically strong. In Akka actor 2.11, 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

Lightbend Akka 2.5.x before 2.5.16 allows message disclosure and modification because of an RNG error. A random number generator is used in Akka Remoting for TLS (both classic and Artery Remoting). Akka allows configuration of custom random number generators. For historical reasons, Akka included the AES128CounterSecureRNG and AES256CounterSecureRNG random number generators. The implementations had a bug that caused the generated numbers to be repeated after only a few bytes. The custom RNG implementations were not configured by default but examples in the documentation showed (and therefore implicitly recommended) using the custom ones. This can be used by an attacker to compromise the communication if these random number generators are enabled in configuration. It would be possible to eavesdrop, replay, or modify the messages sent with Akka Remoting/Cluster.

CVE-2018-16115 Affected Akka actor 2.11 Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
2.5.16
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
com.typesafe.akka:akka-actor_2.11
maven/com.typesafe.akka/akka-actor_2.11
Maven
≥ 2.5.0
< 2.5.16
2.5.16
com.typesafe.akka:akka-actor_2.12
maven/com.typesafe.akka/akka-actor_2.12
Maven
≥ 2.5.0
< 2.5.16
2.5.16

References

NVD — CVE-2018-16115 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16115
Akka actor 2.11 Security Information SECURITY
https://doc.akka.io/docs/akka/current/security/2018-08-29-aes-rng.html
GitHub Advisory / Wiki ADVISORY
https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-mr95-9rr4-668f

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2018-16115?
CVE-2018-16115 is a security vulnerability in Akka actor 2.11 involving Cryptographically Weak Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG) in akka-actor under CWE-338: Use of Cryptographically Weak Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG).
Which Akka actor 2.11 versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 2.5.16 across affected packages: com.typesafe.akka:akka-actor_2.11, com.typesafe.akka:akka-actor_2.12.
What version fixes CVE-2018-16115?
Upgrading to 2.5.16 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is akka-actor_2.11 affected?
Yes, com.typesafe.akka:akka-actor_2.11 is affected in releases prior to 2.5.16. Upgrade your dependency to 2.5.16 or later.
Is akka-actor_2.12 affected?
Yes, com.typesafe.akka:akka-actor_2.12 is affected in releases prior to 2.5.16. Upgrade your dependency to 2.5.16 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-16115?
CVE-2018-16115 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.1 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2018-16115?
CVE-2018-16115 is classified under CWE-338: Use of Cryptographically Weak Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG) (The product uses a Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG) in a security context, but the PRNG's algorithm is not cryptographically strong.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2018-16115?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=com.typesafe.akka'. 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-mr95-9rr4-668f",
  "modified" : "2022-09-14T19:20:04Z",
  "published" : "2018-10-22T20:44:26Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2018-16115" ],
  "summary" : "Cryptographically Weak Pseudo-Random Number Generator (PRNG) in akka-actor",
  "details" : "Lightbend Akka 2.5.x before 2.5.16 allows message disclosure and modification because of an RNG error. A random number generator is used in Akka Remoting for TLS (both classic and Artery Remoting). Akka allows configuration of custom random number generators. For historical reasons, Akka included the AES128CounterSecureRNG and AES256CounterSecureRNG random number generators. The implementations had a bug that caused the generated numbers to be repeated after only a few bytes. The custom RNG implementations were not configured by default but examples in the documentation showed (and therefore implicitly recommended) using the custom ones. This can be used by an attacker to compromise the communication if these random number generators are enabled in configuration. It would be possible to eavesdrop, replay, or modify the messages sent with Akka Remoting/Cluster.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.typesafe.akka:akka-actor_2.11"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.5.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.5.16"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "com.typesafe.akka:akka-actor_2.12"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "2.5.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "2.5.16"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-16115"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://doc.akka.io/docs/akka/current/security/2018-08-29-aes-rng.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-mr95-9rr4-668f"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-338" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2020-06-16T21:47:05Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : null
  }
}