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High

Improper certificate validation in org.apache.httpcomponents:httpclient

  • Disclosed: 17.10.2018
  • Updated: 11.10.2026 12:21

http/conn/ssl/AbstractVerifier.java in Apache Commons HttpClient before 4.2.3 does not properly 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 a certificate with a subject that specifies a common name in a field that is not the CN field. NOTE: this issue exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2012-5783.

Affected software

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PlatformPackageVulnerable versionsFixed in
Java / Kotlin (Maven) org.apache.httpcomponents:httpclient < 4.2.3 4.2.3

References

CVSS score -
Weakness (CWE)
CWE-20
Platform
Java / Kotlin (Maven)
Package
org.apache.httpcomponents:httpclient
Disclosed
17.10.2018
Updated
11.10.2026 12:21

Sources and licenses

OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-2x83-r56g-cv47 - CC BY 4.0

Vulnerability history: org.apache.httpcomponents: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.

Total entries
6
First → latest
10.2018 05.2022
Without a fix
0
Exploited in attacks
0

Severity breakdown

  • Critical 1
  • High 1
  • Medium 4

Disclosures per year

  1. Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor in Apache HttpClient
    Medium CVE-2011-1498 >= 4.0.0, < 4.1.1 4.1.1
  2. Hostname verification in Apache HttpClient 4.3 was disabled by default
    Critical · 9.8 CVE-2013-4366 >= 4.3, < 4.3.1 4.3.1
  3. Cross-site scripting in Apache HttpClient
    Medium · 5.3 CVE-2020-13956 < 4.5.13, >= 5.0.0, < 5.0.3 4.5.13, 5.0.3
  4. Denial of service vulnerability in org.apache.httpcomponents:httpclient
    Medium CVE-2015-5262 < 4.3.6 4.3.6
  5. Improper certificate validation in org.apache.httpcomponents:httpclient this entry
    High CVE-2012-6153 < 4.2.3 4.2.3
  6. Improper Verification of Cryptographic Signature in org.apache.httpcomponents:httpclient
    Medium CVE-2014-3577 < 4.3.5 4.3.5

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