CVE-2018-8039
It is possible to configure Apache CXF to use the com.sun.net.ssl implementation via 'System.setProperty("java.protocol.handler.pkgs", "com.sun.net.ssl.internal.www.protocol");'.
Does this matter?
High impact if exploited, but EPSS currently rates exploitation as unlikely (8.51%). Schedule it in the normal patch cycle and watch for a rise in EPSS or a public exploit.
Description
It is possible to configure Apache CXF to use the com.sun.net.ssl implementation via 'System.setProperty("java.protocol.handler.pkgs", "com.sun.net.ssl.internal.www.protocol");'. When this system property is set, CXF uses some reflection to try to make the HostnameVerifier work with the old com.sun.net.ssl.HostnameVerifier interface. However, the default HostnameVerifier implementation in CXF does not implement the method in this interface, and an exception is thrown. However, in Apache CXF prior to 3.2.5 and 3.1.16 the exception is caught in the reflection code and not properly propagated. What this means is that if you are using the com.sun.net.ssl stack with CXF, an error with TLS hostname verification will not be thrown, leaving a CXF client subject to man-in-the-middle attacks.
- CVSS 3.0
- 8.1 HIGHCVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- EPSS
- 8.51% probability · 95th percentile
- Public exploits
- None in Exploit-DB
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Weakness
- CWE-755
- Affected
- apache/cxf · redhat/jboss enterprise application platform
- Source
- security@apache.org
EPSS 8.5% since 27 October 2026; no change recorded yet. The dashed line is the ten per cent mark our analysts treat as “patch before the next change window”. Points are recorded when the score first appears and whenever it moves by a percentage point or more.
References
- http://cxf.apache.org/security-advisories.data/CVE-2018-8039.txt.asc?version=1&modificationDate=1530184663000&api=v2Mailing List, Vendor Advisory
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106357
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1041199Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2276Third Party Advisory
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2277Third Party Advisory
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2279Third Party Advisory
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2423Third Party Advisory
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2424Third Party Advisory
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2425Third Party Advisory
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2428Third Party Advisory
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2643Third Party Advisory
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3768
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3817
- https://github.com/apache/cxf/commit/fae6fabf9bd7647f5e9cb68897a7d72b545b741bPatch, Third Party Advisory
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/1f8ff31df204ad0374ab26ad333169e0387a5e7ec92422f337431866%40%3Cdev.cxf.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r36e44ffc1a9b365327df62cdfaabe85b9a5637de102cea07d79b2dbf%40%3Ccommits.cxf.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rc774278135816e7afc943dc9fc78eb0764f2c84a2b96470a0187315c%40%3Ccommits.cxf.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rd49aabd984ed540c8ff7916d4d79405f3fa311d2fdbcf9ed307839a6%40%3Ccommits.cxf.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rec7160382badd3ef4ad017a22f64a266c7188b9ba71394f0d321e2d4%40%3Ccommits.cxf.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rfb87e0bf3995e7d560afeed750fac9329ff5f1ad49da365129b7f89e%40%3Ccommits.cxf.apache.org%3E
- https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rff42cfa5e7d75b7c1af0e37589140a8f1999e578a75738740b244bd4%40%3Ccommits.cxf.apache.org%3E
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuapr2020.html
- https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2020.html
- https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpujul2019-5072835.html
- http://cxf.apache.org/security-advisories.data/CVE-2018-8039.txt.asc?version=1&modificationDate=1530184663000&api=v2Mailing List, Vendor Advisory
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106357
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1041199Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2276Third Party Advisory
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2277Third Party Advisory
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2279Third Party Advisory
Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA, exploits from Exploit-DB. Refreshed daily. Download this record as JSON.