GHSA-24r8-fm9r-cpj2 is a medium-severity (CVSS 4.8) CWE-113 vulnerability in com.linecorp.armeria:armeria. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-24r8-fm9r-cpj2 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Low severity vulnerability that affects com.linecorp.armeria:armeria
Real-World Exposure
com.linecorp.armeria:armeriaReal-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
Multiple timing attack vulnerabilities leading to the recovery of secrets based on the use of non-constant time compare function
Impact
String comparison method in multiple authentication validation in Armeria were known to be vulnerable to timing attacks. This vulnerability is caused by the insecure implementation of equals method from java.lang.String. While this attack is not practically possible, an attacker still has a potential to attack if the victim's server validates user by using equals method.
We would like to thank @chrsow for pointing out the issue.
Potentially vulnerable codes
https://github.com/line/armeria/blob/f0d870fde1088114070be31b67f7df0a21e835c6/core/src/main/java/com/linecorp/armeria/server/auth/OAuth2Token.java#L54 https://github.com/line/armeria/blob/f0d870fde1088114070be31b67f7df0a21e835c6/core/src/main/java/com/linecorp/armeria/server/auth/BasicToken.java#L64
Patches
There are two options to patch this issue.
-
Remove
equalsmethod; it has been exclusively used for test cases and was never used in any OSS projects that are using Armeria. (But it is worth noting that there are possibilities of closed projects authenticating users by utilizingequalsmethod) -
Use
MessageDigest.isEqualto compare the credential instead.
Workarounds
- Update to the latest version (TBD)
2-1. Users can prevent these vulnerabilities by modifying and implementing timing attack preventions by themselves.
2-2. Precisely speaking, it is possible to compare credentials by securely comparing them after calling methods to directly return the input (namely Object. accessToken(), Object.username() and Object.password()).
References
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/208.html
- https://security.stackexchange.com/questions/111040/should-i-worry-about-remote-timing-attacks-on-string-comparison
Side Note
Since it is a theoretical attack, there is no PoC available from neither the vendor nor the security team.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | com.linecorp.armeria:armeria | ≥ 0.50.0&&< 0.97.0 | 0.97.0 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for com.linecorp.armeria:armeria. 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.linecorp.armeria:armeria to 0.97.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-24r8-fm9r-cpj2 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 GHSA-24r8-fm9r-cpj2 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 GHSA-24r8-fm9r-cpj2. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GHSA-24r8-fm9r-cpj2 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-24r8-fm9r-cpj2 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.