CVE-2016-8212 in RSA BSAFE Crypto-J
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in EMC RSA BSAFE Crypto-J versions prior to 6.2.2. There is an Improper OCSP Validation Vulnerability. OCSP responses have two time values: thisUpdate and nextUpdate. These specify a validity period; however, both values are optional. Crypto-J treats the lack of a nextUpdate as indicating that the OCSP response is valid indefinitely instead of restricting its validity for a brief period surrounding the thisUpdate time. This vulnerability is similar to the issue described in CVE-2015-4748.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/04/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-8212 affects EMC RSA BSAFE Crypto-J versions prior to 6.2.2 and represents a critical flaw in Online Certificate Status Protocol validation mechanisms. This improper OCSP validation vulnerability stems from the cryptographic library's failure to properly handle optional time fields in OCSP responses, creating a significant security gap that could be exploited by attackers to bypass certificate validation checks. The issue specifically impacts the handling of OCSP response validity periods, where the cryptographic library does not enforce proper time constraints when the nextUpdate field is absent from the response.
The technical flaw manifests in how Crypto-J processes OCSP responses that contain only the thisUpdate timestamp while omitting the nextUpdate field. According to PKI standards and the OCSP specification, when nextUpdate is not present, the response should be considered valid for only a brief period around the thisUpdate time, typically measured in minutes or hours rather than indefinitely. However, the vulnerable implementation treats the absence of nextUpdate as an indication of indefinite validity, effectively allowing potentially compromised certificates to remain trusted beyond their intended validity period. This behavior creates a window of opportunity for attackers to exploit the certificate validation process, particularly in scenarios where certificates might have been revoked but the OCSP response has not yet been updated.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple certificate validation failures, potentially enabling man-in-the-middle attacks, certificate forgery scenarios, and extended trust periods for compromised certificates. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-200 as "Information Exposure" and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1552.001 "Credentials in Files" as it could enable attackers to extend the validity of compromised certificates through improper validation. Additionally, this flaw contributes to broader certificate trust chain weaknesses that could be leveraged in advanced persistent threat campaigns where attackers seek to maintain long-term access through compromised certificate authorities or intermediate certificates.
Organizations utilizing affected Crypto-J versions face significant risks including potential certificate compromise, extended validity periods for revoked certificates, and weakened PKI trust mechanisms. The vulnerability's similarity to CVE-2015-4748 indicates a recurring pattern in cryptographic library implementations where optional time fields are not properly validated, suggesting systemic issues in certificate validation logic. The impact is particularly severe in environments where certificate revocation checking is critical for security operations, such as enterprise networks, financial services, and government systems where trust validation is paramount. Remediation requires immediate patching to Crypto-J version 6.2.2 or later, along with comprehensive certificate validation policy reviews to ensure proper handling of OCSP responses and implementation of additional monitoring for potentially compromised certificate chains.