Vulnerabilities in pkg:maven/org.apache.wss4j/wss4j-ws-security-dom

PACKAGE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-vjwc-5hfh-2vv5
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Advisory Summary

CVE-2015-0226 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) use of a broken or vulnerability (CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm) affecting Wss4j libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves use of a broken or risky cryptographic algorithm in apache wss4j. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 1.6.17, 2.0.2.

2 Known Advisory Record(s)
Package Vulnerability Intelligence

pkg:maven/org.apache.wss4j/wss4j-ws-security-dom

2 Known Advisory Record(s)

Vulnerability advisories affecting package pkg:maven/org.apache.wss4j/wss4j-ws-security-dom. Select an advisory below to view technical details or fixes.

Advisory ID CVE / NVD Severity Summary
GHSA-vjwc-5hfh-2vv5 CVE-2015-0226 HIGH Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm in Apache WSS4J
GHSA-99v3-9x35-c5vf CVE-2014-3623 MODERATE Improper Authentication in Apache WSS4J

CVE-2015-0226 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2015-0226
GHSA Identifier GHSA-vjwc-5hfh-2vv5
Severity HIGH
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 7.5
CWE Classification CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm
Affected Product Wss4j
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 7.5

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/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 None (I:N)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2015-0226

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Wss4j 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.ws.security:wss4j fixed: 1.6.17 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.ws.security</groupId>
    <artifactId>wss4j</artifactId>
    <version>1.6.17</version>
</dependency>
org.apache.wss4j:wss4j-ws-security-dom fixed: 2.0.2 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.wss4j</groupId>
    <artifactId>wss4j-ws-security-dom</artifactId>
    <version>2.0.2</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.ws.security

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2015-0226, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.ws.security

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Wss4j in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 1.6.17), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.ws.security 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-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm, where the product uses a broken or risky cryptographic algorithm or protocol. In Wss4j, 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

Apache WSS4J before 1.6.17 and 2.0.x before 2.0.2 improperly leaks information about decryption failures when decrypting an encrypted key or message data, which makes it easier for remote attackers to recover the plaintext form of a symmetric key via a series of crafted messages. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2011-2487.

CVE-2015-0226 Affected Wss4j Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
1.6.172.0.2
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.ws.security:wss4j
maven/org.apache.ws.security/wss4j
Maven
< 1.6.17
1.6.17
org.apache.wss4j:wss4j-ws-security-dom
maven/org.apache.wss4j/wss4j-ws-security-dom
Maven
≥ 2.0.0
< 2.0.2
2.0.2

References

NVD — CVE-2015-0226 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-0226
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/apache/ws-wss4j/commit/970b3e3756e2c75bf2379ce198365e1a7168c3c3
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/apache/ws-wss4j/commit/de5104b30ddde5fe7388ad57e1c5ace5c5509924
access.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2016:13... WEB
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016:1376
Wss4j Source Repository REPOSITORY
https://github.com/apache/ws-wss4j
support.hpe.com/hpsc/doc/public/dis... WEB
https://support.hpe.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docLocale=en_US&docId=emr_na-hpesbgn03900en_us
svn.apache.org/viewvc WEB
https://svn.apache.org/viewvc?view=revision&revision=1621329
ws.apache.org/wss4j/advisories/cv... WEB
https://ws.apache.org/wss4j/advisories/CVE-2015-0226.txt.asc
Wss4j Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpujul2019-5072835.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2015-08... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2015-0846.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2015-08... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2015-0847.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2015-08... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2015-0848.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2015-08... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2015-0849.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2015-11... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2015-1176.html
rhn.redhat.com/errata/rhsa-2015-11... WEB
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2015-1177.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2015-0226?
CVE-2015-0226 is a security vulnerability in Wss4j involving Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm in Apache WSS4J under CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm.
Which Wss4j versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 1.6.17, 2.0.2 across affected packages: org.apache.ws.security:wss4j, org.apache.wss4j:wss4j-ws-security-dom.
What version fixes CVE-2015-0226?
Upgrading to 1.6.17, 2.0.2 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is wss4j affected?
Yes, org.apache.ws.security:wss4j is affected in releases prior to 1.6.17. Upgrade your dependency to 1.6.17 or later.
Is wss4j-ws-security-dom affected?
Yes, org.apache.wss4j:wss4j-ws-security-dom is affected in releases prior to 2.0.2. Upgrade your dependency to 2.0.2 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2015-0226?
CVE-2015-0226 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.5 (HIGH) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2015-0226?
CVE-2015-0226 is classified under CWE-327: Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm (The product uses a broken or risky cryptographic algorithm or protocol.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2015-0226?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.ws.security'. 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-vjwc-5hfh-2vv5",
  "modified" : "2025-02-19T21:13:00Z",
  "published" : "2022-05-14T00:55:57Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2015-0226" ],
  "summary" : "Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm in Apache WSS4J",
  "details" : "Apache WSS4J before 1.6.17 and 2.0.x before 2.0.2 improperly leaks information about decryption failures when decrypting an encrypted key or message data, which makes it easier for remote attackers to recover the plaintext form of a symmetric key via a series of crafted messages. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2011-2487.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
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    },
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  "references" : [ {
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    "url" : "https://svn.apache.org/viewvc?view=revision&revision=1621329"
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  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpujul2019-5072835.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2015-0846.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2015-0847.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2015-0848.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2015-0849.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2015-1176.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2015-1177.html"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-327" ],
    "severity" : "HIGH",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2022-07-06T20:29:59Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2017-10-30T14:29:00Z"
  }
}