GHSA-vjwc-5hfh-2vv5
HIGHGHSA-vjwc-5hfh-2vv5 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) Broken Cryptographic Algorithm vulnerability in org.apache.ws.security:wss4j. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-vjwc-5hfh-2vv5 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm in Apache WSS4J
Blast Radius
org.apache.ws.security:wss4j☕org.apache.wss4j:wss4j-ws-security-domReal-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 WSS4J before 1.6.17 and 2.0.x before 2.0.2 improperly leaks information about decryption failures when decrypting an encrypted key or message data, which makes it easier for remote attackers to recover the plaintext form of a symmetric key via a series of crafted messages. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incomplete fix for CVE-2011-2487.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.ws.security:wss4j | all versions | 1.6.17 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.wss4j:wss4j-ws-security-dom | ≥ 2.0.0&&< 2.0.2 | 2.0.2 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.ws.security:wss4j. 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 org.apache.ws.security:wss4j to 1.6.17 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-vjwc-5hfh-2vv5 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-vjwc-5hfh-2vv5 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-vjwc-5hfh-2vv5. 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-vjwc-5hfh-2vv5 in your dependencies?
O3 detects GHSA-vjwc-5hfh-2vv5 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.