CVE-2018-0696
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 · uneditedOpenAM (Open Source Edition) 13.0 and later does not properly manage sessions, which allows remote authenticated attackers to change the security questions and reset the login password via unspecified 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 · moderate confidenceOpenAM versions 13.0 and later contain a session management flaw that allows remote authenticated attackers to bypass proper session validation and modify security questions or reset user passwords. The vulnerability stems from inadequate enforcement of session ownership during sensitive account operations.
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>= 13.0, <= 13.0.0-120CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify OpenAM installation and versionCheck the OpenAM version by reviewing the WAR file name, deployment descriptor, or the admin console About page. Common paths include /opt/openam, /var/opt/openam, or the deployed web application directory. Look for version strings like '13.0.0' or '13.0.0-120'.Affected if The installed version falls within 13.0 to 13.0.0-120 inclusive
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Confirm OpenAM web application is accessibleVerify the OpenAM admin console or endpoint is reachable at the configured base URL. Check if the /openam or /OpenAM-13.0.0 endpoint responds to HTTP requests.Affected if The OpenAM web application is exposed and running a vulnerable version
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Verify user self-service endpoints are enabledExamine the OpenAM configuration for 'Password Reset' and 'Security Questions' self-service features. Check the Realm configuration under Authentication > Self Service, or review the XML configuration files for org.forgerock.openam.selfservice.* settings.Affected if Self-service password reset or security question modification endpoints are enabled in the realm configuration
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Check session validation configurationReview OpenAM session service configuration at /etc/openam/session or via the admin console under Authentication > Session. Look for session ownership validation settings and ensure they properly enforce that session tokens match the requesting user's identity.Affected if Session configuration lacks proper ownership validation or allows session tampering for account modification operations
A user is affected if OpenAM version 13.0 through 13.0.0-120 is running with self-service password reset or security question features enabled and without proper session ownership validation.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataApply vendor patches for CVE-2018-0696 and verify that session tokens are properly validated during password reset and security question changes. Consider implementing additional MFA or step-up authentication for account modification workflows.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing10.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,776.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2018-0696 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-0696 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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