CVE-2010-3300 in ESAPI for Java
Summary
by MITRE • 06/22/2021
It was found that all OWASP ESAPI for Java up to version 2.0 RC2 are vulnerable to padding oracle attacks.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/24/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-3300 represents a critical security flaw affecting all versions of the OWASP Enterprise Security API for Java up to version 2.0 RC2. This vulnerability specifically targets the cryptographic implementations within the ESAPI library, which is widely adopted by organizations seeking to implement robust security controls in their web applications. The affected versions of ESAPI incorporate encryption mechanisms that are susceptible to padding oracle attacks, a class of cryptographic attacks that exploit the way systems handle padding in encrypted data.
The technical flaw manifests in the implementation of the encryption algorithms used by ESAPI's cryptographic components, particularly in how they process padding during decryption operations. In a padding oracle attack, an attacker can exploit the error messages or timing variations that occur when attempting to decrypt data with invalid padding. The vulnerability stems from the lack of proper error handling and the absence of constant-time operations during decryption processes. When the system encounters invalid padding, it provides distinguishable responses that reveal information about the validity of the padding, allowing an attacker to iteratively determine the correct padding values and ultimately decrypt the ciphertext without possessing the encryption key.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and far-reaching, as it compromises the confidentiality of encrypted data that is protected by the affected ESAPI implementations. Attackers can exploit this weakness to decrypt sensitive information such as user credentials, session tokens, personal identification data, and other confidential application data that relies on the ESAPI encryption mechanisms. This vulnerability directly violates the fundamental principles of cryptographic security and can lead to unauthorized access to systems and data breaches. The attack can be executed remotely without requiring authentication, making it particularly dangerous for applications that depend on ESAPI for securing sensitive information.
Organizations using affected versions of OWASP ESAPI should immediately implement mitigations to address this vulnerability. The primary remediation involves upgrading to a patched version of the ESAPI library that implements proper padding handling and constant-time operations during cryptographic processing. Security practitioners should also consider implementing additional layers of protection such as input validation, proper error handling, and monitoring for unusual decryption patterns. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-327, which addresses weak cryptographic algorithms and improper implementation of cryptographic functions. From an attack perspective, this vulnerability maps to the attack technique of cryptographic attack within the MITRE ATT&CK framework, specifically targeting the credential access and defense evasion domains. The remediation process should include thorough code review of any custom implementations that rely on the vulnerable ESAPI components and implementation of proper cryptographic best practices to prevent similar issues in future development cycles.