Apache Syncope's AES encryption stores hard-coded passwords in internal database
Apache Syncope can be configured to store the user password values in the internal database with AES encryption, though this is not the default option.
When AES is configured, the default key value, hard-coded in the source code, is always used. This allows a malicious attacker, once obtained access to the internal database content, to reconstruct the original cleartext password values. This is not affecting encrypted plain attributes, whose values are also stored using AES encryption.
Users are recommended to upgrade to version 3.0.15 / 4.0.3, which fix this issue.
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.apache.syncope:syncope-core | >= 4.0.0, < 4.0.3, < 3.0.15 | 4.0.3, 3.0.15 |
References
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-65998
- https://github.com/apache/syncope/commit/297498ebfc86e4996f5e3e4ef7b7f8b1cd82004b
- https://github.com/apache/syncope/commit/9d706af25d2e60327b8b5b63186f9da51ed79a1d
- https://github.com/apache/syncope
- https://lists.apache.org/thread/fjh0tb0d1xkbphc5ogdsc348ppz88cts
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2025/11/24/1
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-321- Platform
- Java / Kotlin (Maven)
- Package
org.apache.syncope:syncope-core- Disclosed
- 24.11.2025
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 12:22
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-jqg8-m35q-jh7j - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: org.apache.syncope:syncope-core
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
- 7
- First → latest
- 11.2018 11.2025
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Critical 1
- High 4
- Medium 2
Disclosures per year
- 2018: 4
- 2019: 0
- 2020: 0
- 2021: 2
- 2022: 0
- 2023: 0
- 2024: 0
- 2025: 1
- 2026: 0
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