CVE-2010-4007 in Mojarra
Summary
by MITRE
Oracle Mojarra uses an encrypted View State without a Message Authentication Code (MAC), which makes it easier for remote attackers to perform successful modifications of the View State via a padding oracle attack, a related issue to CVE-2010-2057.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/07/2019
Oracle Mojarra represents a widely deployed JavaServer Faces implementation that serves as the reference implementation for the JSF specification and is extensively used in enterprise web applications. The vulnerability described in CVE-2010-4007 stems from a critical flaw in the view state encryption mechanism where the system employs encrypted view state data without incorporating a message authentication code. This design decision creates a fundamental security weakness that directly impacts the integrity and authenticity guarantees typically expected from encrypted communications.
The technical flaw manifests when the system processes view state data that has been encrypted but lacks proper authentication mechanisms to verify data integrity. This absence of a MAC creates an environment where attackers can exploit padding oracle vulnerabilities to manipulate the encrypted view state data. A padding oracle attack occurs when an attacker can determine whether padding in encrypted data is valid by observing the system's responses to malformed data. In the context of this vulnerability, attackers can systematically modify the encrypted view state and observe whether the application accepts or rejects the modified data, thereby gaining information about the decryption process and eventually reconstructing valid view state content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data manipulation as it enables attackers to perform sophisticated session hijacking and privilege escalation attacks. When an attacker successfully modifies the view state, they can potentially access restricted application features, modify user permissions, or even execute arbitrary code within the application context. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the application layer and can be exploited without requiring authentication credentials, making it an attractive target for automated attack tools. This weakness directly aligns with CWE-310, which classifies the lack of message authentication codes as a critical security flaw that undermines data integrity and authenticity.
The attack vector for this vulnerability leverages the padding oracle mechanism, where attackers send modified encrypted data to the server and observe the responses to infer information about the decryption process. This approach can be particularly effective against legacy systems that have not been updated with proper security patches, as the vulnerability exists in the core encryption implementation. The relationship to CVE-2010-2057 demonstrates a pattern of similar vulnerabilities in the JavaServer Faces ecosystem where encryption without proper authentication creates exploitable conditions.
Organizations should implement comprehensive mitigations including immediate patching of affected Mojarra versions, enabling proper message authentication codes for view state data, and implementing additional security controls such as secure session management and input validation. The remediation process should involve updating to patched versions of Oracle Mojarra that incorporate proper MAC validation for encrypted view state data, as well as implementing monitoring systems to detect potential exploitation attempts. Security professionals should also consider implementing network-level controls and application firewalls to detect and block suspicious view state modification patterns, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1566 for credential harvesting through application layer attacks.