CVE-2015-0534 in BSAFE Crypto-J
Summary
by MITRE
EMC RSA BSAFE Micro Edition Suite (MES) 4.0.x before 4.0.8 and 4.1.x before 4.1.3, RSA BSAFE Crypto-J before 6.2, RSA BSAFE SSL-J before 6.2, and RSA BSAFE SSL-C 2.8.9 and earlier do not enforce certain constraints on certificate data, which allows remote attackers to defeat a fingerprint-based certificate-blacklist protection mechanism by including crafted data within a certificate's unsigned portion, a similar issue to CVE-2014-8275.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/12/2022
The vulnerability described in CVE-2015-0534 affects multiple components of EMC RSA BSAFE cryptographic software suites including Micro Edition Suite, Crypto-J, SSL-J, and SSL-C products. This flaw represents a critical weakness in certificate validation mechanisms that undermines the security of certificate-based authentication systems. The vulnerability specifically targets the enforcement of constraints on certificate data, creating a pathway for attackers to bypass security measures designed to block compromised certificates through fingerprint-based blacklisting. The issue impacts versions 4.0.x before 4.0.8, 4.1.x before 4.1.3, and RSA BSAFE Crypto-J before 6.2, indicating a widespread problem across multiple product lines and versions. This vulnerability is particularly concerning because it allows remote attackers to craft malicious certificate data that can evade detection by security systems relying on certificate fingerprints for protection.
The technical flaw stems from insufficient validation of certificate data within the unsigned portions of certificates, which are typically expected to contain non-critical information that does not affect the certificate's validity. However, in this case, attackers can manipulate data within these unsigned sections to alter the behavior of certificate validation processes. The vulnerability enables attackers to include crafted data that can cause the certificate validation system to ignore or misinterpret the certificate's fingerprint, effectively allowing malicious certificates to pass through security controls that should have blocked them. This issue is classified as a weakness in certificate validation and falls under the broader category of cryptographic implementation flaws that can lead to authentication bypasses and man-in-the-middle attacks.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-0534 is significant for organizations relying on RSA BSAFE cryptographic libraries for secure communications and authentication. Systems using affected versions may be vulnerable to attacks where malicious certificates are accepted despite being on blacklist databases, potentially allowing unauthorized access to protected resources or enabling eavesdropping on encrypted communications. The vulnerability creates a persistent security gap that could be exploited by attackers to establish trust relationships with compromised certificates, undermining the entire certificate-based trust model. This issue particularly affects web applications, secure email systems, and any infrastructure relying on certificate validation for authentication and encryption. The similarity to CVE-2014-8275 indicates that this represents a recurring pattern of implementation flaws in certificate handling that require careful attention and remediation.
Organizations should immediately upgrade to patched versions of affected RSA BSAFE products, specifically versions 4.0.8 and 4.1.3 for MES, and 6.2 for Crypto-J, SSL-J, and SSL-C components. System administrators should conduct comprehensive inventory assessments to identify all affected systems and applications using these cryptographic libraries. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of thorough certificate validation processes and highlights the need for proper implementation of security controls that do not rely solely on fingerprint-based blacklisting mechanisms. Security teams should implement additional monitoring and validation procedures to detect potential exploitation attempts and ensure that certificate validation systems maintain proper enforcement of all certificate constraints. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK techniques related to credential access and defense evasion, as it allows attackers to bypass certificate-based authentication controls and potentially establish persistent access to secured systems. The issue also corresponds to CWE-295 which describes improper certificate validation, emphasizing the critical importance of robust certificate handling in cryptographic implementations.