CVE-2017-12624 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.5) vulnerability in org.apache.cxf:cxf-core. A fix is available for org.apache.cxf:cxf-core — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Improper Input Validation in Apache CXF
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
org.apache.cxf:cxf-core☕org.apache.cxf:cxf-core☕org.apache.cxf:cxf-coreReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Apache CXF supports sending and receiving attachments via either the JAX-WS or JAX-RS specifications. It is possible to craft a message attachment header that could lead to a Denial of Service (DoS) attack on a CXF web service provider. Both JAX-WS and JAX-RS services are vulnerable to this attack. From Apache CXF 3.2.1 and 3.1.14, message attachment headers that are greater than 300 characters will be rejected by default. This value is configurable via the property "attachment-max-header-size".
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.cxf:cxf-core | ≥ 3.2.0&&< 3.2.1 | 3.2.1org.apache.cxf:cxf-core:3.2.1 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.cxf:cxf-core | ≥ 3.1.0&&< 3.1.14 | 3.1.14org.apache.cxf:cxf-core:3.1.14 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.cxf:cxf-core | all versions | 3.0.16org.apache.cxf:cxf-core:3.0.16 |
Affected Products
cxfapacheDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.cxf:cxf-core, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.apache.cxf:cxf-core to 3.2.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2017-12624 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Cap what an attacker can consume: apply request size, rate and timeout limits in front of the affected component, and run it with memory and CPU limits so exhaustion degrades one worker rather than the whole service.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat JBoss EAP 7.1 | cxf | RHSA-2018:2425 |
| Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 7.1 for RHEL 6 | eap7-activemq-artemis-0:1.5.5.013-1.redhat_1.1.ep7.el6 | RHSA-2018:2423 |
| Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 7.1 for RHEL 7 | eap7-activemq-artemis-0:1.5.5.013-1.redhat_1.1.ep7.el7 | RHSA-2018:2424 |
| Red Hat Single Sign-On 7.2.4 zip | cxf | RHSA-2018:2428 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2017-12624 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.