CVE-2015-0226 in PeopleSoft Enterprise PeopleTools
Summary
by MITRE
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.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/02/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2015-0226 represents a critical information disclosure flaw within Apache WSS4J, a widely used Java implementation of the Web Services Security standard. This issue affects versions prior to 1.6.17 and 2.0.2, specifically targeting the decryption mechanisms within the Web Services Security framework. The vulnerability stems from an incomplete remediation of a previous security flaw identified as CVE-2011-2487, creating a persistent security gap that adversaries can exploit to gain unauthorized access to sensitive cryptographic information.
The technical flaw manifests in the improper handling of decryption failure responses within the WSS4J library. When attempting to decrypt encrypted key or message data, the system provides inconsistent error responses that inadvertently reveal information about the decryption process. This leakage occurs because the implementation does not properly normalize error messages regardless of whether decryption succeeds or fails, creating a timing or response-based side-channel attack vector. Attackers can leverage this inconsistency by sending carefully crafted sequences of encrypted messages and observing the varying responses to gradually deduce the plaintext symmetric key through statistical analysis and pattern recognition techniques.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability significantly undermines the confidentiality guarantees provided by the Web Services Security framework. Remote attackers can systematically exploit the information leakage to recover symmetric keys used for encrypting web service messages, potentially leading to full compromise of encrypted communications. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous in environments where web services handle sensitive data such as financial transactions, personal identification information, or proprietary business data. The ease of exploitation, as indicated by the vulnerability description, means that attackers with minimal technical expertise can successfully recover plaintext keys through repeated message exchanges, making this a high-risk issue for any organization relying on Apache WSS4J for secure web service communications.
The security implications extend beyond simple information disclosure to encompass potential credential theft and man-in-the-middle attack capabilities. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which addresses improper information exposure, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with side-channel attacks that are catalogued under the MITRE ATT&CK framework in the technique category of Credential Access. Organizations utilizing affected versions of Apache WSS4J should immediately implement the available patches and updates to address this vulnerability. Additionally, security teams should conduct comprehensive assessments of their web service architectures to identify any potential exploitation attempts and consider implementing additional monitoring controls to detect anomalous message patterns that might indicate active exploitation of this vulnerability. The remediation process must include thorough testing to ensure that the updated library properly handles all decryption scenarios without revealing information about the underlying cryptographic operations.