CVE-2017-12972
HIGHCVE-2017-12972 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) CWE-345 vulnerability in com.nimbusds:nimbus-jose-jwt. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2017-12972 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Nimbus JOSE+JWT missing overflow check
Blast Radius
com.nimbusds:nimbus-jose-jwtReal-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
In Nimbus JOSE+JWT before 4.39, there is no integer-overflow check when converting length values from bytes to bits, which allows attackers to conduct HMAC bypass attacks by shifting Additional Authenticated Data (AAD) and ciphertext so that different plaintext is obtained for the same HMAC.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | com.nimbusds:nimbus-jose-jwt | all versions | 4.39 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for com.nimbusds:nimbus-jose-jwt. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update com.nimbusds:nimbus-jose-jwt to 4.39 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2017-12972 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2017-12972 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2017-12972. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2017-12972 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2017-12972 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.