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CxfApplication · Apache

CVE-2012-2379

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2013-01-03
Patch available
A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Apache CXF 2.4.x before 2.4.8, 2.5.x before 2.5.4, and 2.6.x before 2.6.1, when a Supporting Token specifies a child WS-SecurityPolicy 1.1 or 1.2 policy, does not properly ensure that an XML element is signed or encrypted, which has unspecified impact and attack vectors.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Apache CXF versions 2.4.x before 2.4.8, 2.5.x before 2.5.4, and 2.6.x before 2.6.1 have a vulnerability in the WS-SecurityPolicy implementation. When a Supporting Token specifies a child WS-SecurityPolicy 1.1 or 1.2 policy, the framework fails to properly enforce that required XML elements are signed or encrypted, potentially allowing attackers to bypass security controls.

MitigationUpgrade Apache CXF to version 2.4.8, 2.5.4, 2.6.1 or later. After upgrading, verify that WS-SecurityPolicy enforcement functions correctly and that all expected XML signing/encryption is being applied.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
CxfApplication
Affected:= 2.4.0= 2.4.1= 2.4.2= 2.4.3= 2.4.4= 2.4.5= 2.4.6= 2.4.7= 2.5.0= 2.5.1= 2.5.2= 2.5.3

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Apache CXF version
    Locate the CXF jar file (cxf-*.jar) in your application's classpath or lib directory, or check your build manifest/pom.xml for the CXF dependency version
    Affected if The version is 2.4.0 through 2.4.7, 2.5.0 through 2.5.3, or any 2.6.x version before 2.6.1
  2. Confirm WS-SecurityPolicy is in use
    Search your application configuration files (such as cxf-servlet.xml, spring beans XML, or WSDL files) for WS-SecurityPolicy configuration elements, specifically looking for <sp:SupportingToken> or <sp:SupportingTokens> policy definitions
    Affected if Your application uses WS-SecurityPolicy with Supporting Tokens configured for XML signing or encryption
  3. Check for child policy elements
    Examine the Supporting Token policy definitions for nested policy references using <wsp:Policy> or policy URIs that reference WS-SecurityPolicy 1.1 or 1.2 specifications
    Affected if Your Supporting Token configuration contains child WS-SecurityPolicy 1.1 or 1.2 policies that specify signing or encryption requirements
  4. Verify XML signing/encryption enforcement
    Review runtime logs or perform a test message exchange with a tool like SoapUI to inspect whether the XML elements specified in your Supporting Token policy are actually being signed or encrypted as expected
    Affected if Required XML elements defined in the Supporting Token policy are NOT being signed or encrypted despite being configured to do so

You are affected if your Apache CXF version falls within 2.4.0-2.4.7, 2.5.0-2.5.3, or 2.6.0-2.6.0 AND you use WS-SecurityPolicy with Supporting Tokens containing child policies that may not be properly enforced.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Patch available Apply the vendor patch
Vendor patch cxf.apache.org →
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Apache CXF to version 2.4.8, 2.5.4, 2.6.1 or later. After upgrading, verify that WS-SecurityPolicy enforcement functions correctly and that all expected XML signing/encryption is being applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apache CXF 2.4.8 or later (or 2.5.4+/2.6.1+ if upgrading to those major branches)

  1. Identify all project dependencies that include Apache CXF versions 2.4.0-2.4.7
  2. Update the CXF dependency in your build configuration (pom.xml for Maven, build.gradle for Gradle) to version 2.4.8 or later
  3. Verify no other vulnerable CXF transitive dependencies exist in the project
  4. Rebuild and test the application to ensure the upgrade does not break existing functionality
Caveat Minor version upgrades within 2.4.x should be low-risk; however, review release notes for any behavioral changes between your current version and 2.4.8

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Cxf Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing5.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,790
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-2379 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data