Paho Java ClientApplication · Eclipse

CVE-2019-11777

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-09-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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
In the Eclipse Paho Java client library version 1.2.0, when connecting to an MQTT server using TLS and setting a host name verifier, the result of that verification is not checked. This could allow one MQTT server to impersonate another and provide the client library with incorrect information.

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

In Eclipse Paho Java client library version 1.2.0, when connecting to an MQTT broker over TLS with a custom hostname verifier configured, the library fails to check the verification result. This allows a malicious MQTT server to perform a man-in-the-middle attack and impersonate legitimate servers, bypassing TLS certificate validation.

MitigationUpgrade Eclipse Paho Java client to version 1.2.1 or later where the hostname verification result is properly checked. Alternatively, validate TLS certificate chain through underlying JVM trust stores as a defense-in-depth measure.

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
Paho Java ClientApplication
Affected:= 1.2.0

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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 Eclipse Paho Java Client in dependencies
    Search your project dependencies (pom.xml, build.gradle, lib folder) for org.eclipse.paho:org.eclipse.paho.client.mqttv3 and note the version
    Affected if Version is exactly 1.2.0
  2. Check if TLS connections are used
    Search codebase for MqttConnectOptions configured with SSL/TLS properties, such as setSSLHostnameVerifier or socket factory configuration
    Affected if TLS/SSL is used for MQTT connections in the application
  3. Identify custom hostname verifier configuration
    Search for setHostnameVerifier calls on MqttConnectOptions or SSLSocketFactory setup that uses a custom hostname verifier
    Affected if A custom hostname verifier is configured (not using default JVM validation)
  4. Verify application actually connects to MQTT broker over TLS
    Review runtime configuration or connection code to confirm TLS/SSL port (typically 8883) or wss:// URI scheme is used
    Affected if Application connects to MQTT broker using TLS

Affected if Eclipse Paho Java Client version 1.2.0 is used AND TLS connections are established with a custom hostname verifier, as the library fails to check the verification result in this configuration.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade Eclipse Paho Java client to version 1.2.1 or later where the hostname verification result is properly checked. Alternatively, validate TLS certificate chain through underlying JVM trust stores as a defense-in-depth measure.

Fix this in Paho Java Client Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,360
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,176.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-11777 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2019-11777 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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