CVE-2011-2487: Apache WSS4J and JBossWS Bleichenbacher attack in XML Encryption

Executive brief

Apache WSS4J and JBossWS are security frameworks used to protect web services. A vulnerability in how these tools handle encrypted data could allow an attacker to potentially decrypt sensitive information by observing how the system responds to specific types of errors. This could lead to the exposure of confidential business data or credentials transmitted between services.

Technical details

The implementations of the PKCS#1 v1.5 key transport mechanism for XML Encryption in Apache WSS4J (before 1.6.5) and JBossWS are susceptible to a Bleichenbacher oracle attack. An attacker can exploit this by sending specially crafted ciphertexts and observing the server's responses (timing or error messages) to iteratively decrypt the underlying data or recover the private key. This is a network-based attack with high complexity, as it requires a large number of probes to be successful. The vulnerability is addressed in Apache WSS4J version 1.6.5.

Affected products

• Apache WSS4J < 1.6.5
• JBoss JBossWS All versions prior to fix

Timeline

• 2011-06-22: disclosed: Initial discovery/reporting date based on CVE ID year and Red Hat bugzilla.
• 2020-03-11: advisory: NVD publication date.
• 2022-04-22: advisory: GitHub Advisory Database publication.

References

• https://api.github.com/users/kmoens
• https://github.com/kmoens
• https://api.github.com/users/kmoens/gists%7B/gist_id%7D
• https://api.github.com/users/kmoens/repos
• https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/5837260?v=4
• https://api.github.com/users/kmoens/events%7B/privacy%7D