Improper Certificate Validation in proton-j
The Apache Qpid Proton-J transport includes an optional wrapper layer to perform TLS, enabled by use of the 'transport.ssl(...)' methods. Unless a verification mode was explicitly configured, client and server modes previously defaulted as documented to not verifying a peer certificate, with options to configure this explicitly or select a certificate verification mode with or without hostname verification being performed. The latter hostname verifying mode was not implemented in Apache Qpid Proton-J versions 0.3 to 0.29.0, with attempts to use it resulting in an exception. This left only the option to verify the certificate is trusted, leaving such a client vulnerable to Man In The Middle (MITM) attack. Uses of the Proton-J protocol engine which do not utilise the optional transport TLS wrapper are not impacted, e.g. usage within Qpid JMS. Uses of Proton-J utilising the optional transport TLS wrapper layer that wish to enable hostname verification must be upgraded to version 0.30.0 or later and utilise the VerifyMode#VERIFY_PEER_NAME configuration, which is now the default for client mode usage unless configured otherwise.
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.apache.qpid:proton-j | >= 0.3, < 0.30.0 | 0.30.0 |
References
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-17187
- https://github.com/apache/qpid-proton-j/commit/0cb8ca03cec42120dcfc434561592d89a89a805e
- https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-xvch-r4wf-h8w9
- https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/PROTON-1962
- https://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/qpid-users/201811.mbox/%3CCAFitrpQSV73Vz7rJYfLJK7gvEymZSCR5ooWUeU8j4jzRydk-eg%40mail.gmail.com%3E
- https://qpid.apache.org/cves/CVE-2018-17187.html
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/105935
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-295- Platform
- Java / Kotlin (Maven)
- Package
org.apache.qpid:proton-j- Disclosed
- 21.11.2018
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 12:20
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-xvch-r4wf-h8w9 - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: org.apache.qpid:proton-j
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
- 2
- First → latest
- 10.2018 11.2018
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- High 1
- Medium 1
Disclosures per year
- 2018: 2
- 2019: 0
- 2020: 0
- 2021: 0
- 2022: 0
- 2023: 0
- 2024: 0
- 2025: 0
- 2026: 0
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Improper Certificate Validation in proton-j this entry
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