Improper Certificate Validation in Apache Commons HttpClient
Apache Commons HttpClient 3.x, as used in Amazon Flexible Payments Service (FPS) merchant Java SDK and other products, does not verify that the server hostname matches a domain name in the subject's Common Name (CN) or subjectAltName field of the X.509 certificate, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof SSL servers via an arbitrary valid certificate.
Note that the Commons HttpClient project is end of life. It has been replaced by the Apache HttpComponents project in its HttpClient and HttpCore modules. CVE-2012-5783 has been patched in v4.0 of the Apache HttpComponents HttpClient module.
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | commons-httpclient:commons-httpclient | >= 3.0 | no fix |
References
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-5783
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:0868
- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/79984
- https://github.com/apache/httpcomponents-client
- https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/HTTPCLIENT-1265
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2013-02/msg00078.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2013-04/msg00040.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2013-04/msg00041.html
- http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-updates/2013-04/msg00053.html
- http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2013-0270.html
- http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2013-0679.html
- http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2013-0680.html
- http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2013-0682.html
- http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2013-1853.html
- http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2014-0224.html
- http://www.cs.utexas.edu/~shmat/shmat_ccs12.pdf
- http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2769-1
- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-295- Platform
- Java / Kotlin (Maven)
- Package
commons-httpclient:commons-httpclient- Disclosed
- 13.05.2022
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 13:19
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-3832-9276-x7gf - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: commons-httpclient:commons-httpclient
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Java / Kotlin (Maven)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
This is the only known vulnerability of this package.
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