CVE-2023-28857
LDAP password leak in Apereo CAS - GHSL-2023-009
Apereo CAS is an open source multilingual single sign-on solution for the web. Apereo CAS can be configured to use authentication based on client X509 certificates. These certificates can be provided via TLS handshake or a special HTTP header, such as “ssl_client_cert”. When checking the validity of the provided client certificate, X509CredentialsAuthenticationHandler performs check that this certificate is not revoked. To do so, it fetches URLs provided in the “CRL Distribution Points” extension of the certificate, which are taken from the certificate itself and therefore can be controlled by a malicious user. If the CAS server is configured to use an LDAP server for x509 authentication with a password, for example by setting a “cas.authn.x509.ldap.ldap-url” and “cas.authn.x509.ldap.bind-credential” properties, X509CredentialsAuthenticationHandler fetches revocation URLs from the certificate, which can be LDAP urls. When making requests to this LDAP urls, Apereo CAS uses the same password as for initially configured LDAP server, which can lead to a password leak. An unauthenticated user can leak the password used to LDAP connection configured on server. This issue has been addressed in version 6.6.6. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- High
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- Low
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
CVE List Score used
4.0
LDAP password leak in Apereo CAS - GHSL-2023-009
Apereo CAS is an open source multilingual single sign-on solution for the web. Apereo CAS can be configured to use authentication based on client X509 certificates. These certificates can be provided via TLS handshake or a special HTTP header, such as “ssl_client_cert”. When checking the validity of the provided client certificate, X509CredentialsAuthenticationHandler performs check that this certificate is not revoked. To do so, it fetches URLs provided in the “CRL Distribution Points” extension of the certificate, which are taken from the certificate itself and therefore can be controlled by a malicious user. If the CAS server is configured to use an LDAP server for x509 authentication with a password, for example by setting a “cas.authn.x509.ldap.ldap-url” and “cas.authn.x509.ldap.bind-credential” properties, X509CredentialsAuthenticationHandler fetches revocation URLs from the certificate, which can be LDAP urls. When making requests to this LDAP urls, Apereo CAS uses the same password as for initially configured LDAP server, which can lead to a password leak. An unauthenticated user can leak the password used to LDAP connection configured on server. This issue has been addressed in version 6.6.6. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
- Record
CVE-2023-28857- CVSS 3.1
- 4.0 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-200
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2024-2624
4.0
Apereo CAS is an open source multilingual single sign-on solution for the web. Apereo CAS can be configured to use authentication based on client X509 certificates. These certificates can be provided via TLS handshake or a special HTTP header, such as “ssl_client_cert”. When checking the validity of the provided client certificate, X509CredentialsAuthenticationHandler performs check that this certificate is not revoked. To do so, it fetches URLs provided in the “CRL Distribution Points” extension of the certificate, which are taken from the certificate itself and therefore can be controlled by a malicious user. If the CAS server is configured to use an LDAP server for x509 authentication with a password, for example by setting a “cas.authn.x509.ldap.ldap-url” and “cas.authn.x509.ldap.bind-credential” properties, X509CredentialsAuthenticationHandler fetches revocation URLs from the certificate, which can be LDAP urls. When making requests to this LDAP urls, Apereo CAS uses the same password as for initially configured LDAP server, which can lead to a password leak. An unauthenticated user can leak the password used to LDAP connection configured on server. This issue has been addressed in version 6.6.6. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
- Record
EUVD-2024-2624- CVSS 3.1
- 4.0 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-p78h-m8pv-g9gm
6.3
Apereo CAS vulnerable to credential leaks for LDAP authentication
Apereo CAS is an open source multilingual single sign-on solution for the web. Apereo CAS can be configured to use authentication based on client X509 certificates. These certificates can be provided via TLS handshake or a special HTTP header, such as “ssl_client_cert”. When checking the validity of the provided client certificate, X509CredentialsAuthenticationHandler performs check that this certificate is not revoked. To do so, it fetches URLs provided in the “CRL Distribution Points” extension of the certificate, which are taken from the certificate itself and therefore can be controlled by a malicious user. If the CAS server is configured to use an LDAP server for x509 authentication with a password, for example by setting a “cas.authn.x509.ldap.ldap-url” and “cas.authn.x509.ldap.bind-credential” properties, X509CredentialsAuthenticationHandler fetches revocation URLs from the certificate, which can be LDAP urls. When making requests to this LDAP urls, Apereo CAS uses the same password as for initially configured LDAP server, which can lead to a password leak. An unauthenticated user can leak the password used to LDAP connection configured on server. This issue has been addressed in version 6.6.6. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
- Record
GHSA-p78h-m8pv-g9gm- CVSS 4.0
- 6.3 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 4.0 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-200, CWE-522
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
NVD
4.0
Apereo CAS is an open source multilingual single sign-on solution for the web. Apereo CAS can be configured to use authentication based on client X509 certificates. These certificates can be provided via TLS handshake or a special HTTP header, such as “ssl_client_cert”. When checking the validity of the provided client certificate, X509CredentialsAuthenticationHandler performs check that this certificate is not revoked. To do so, it fetches URLs provided in the “CRL Distribution Points” extension of the certificate, which are taken from the certificate itself and therefore can be controlled by a malicious user. If the CAS server is configured to use an LDAP server for x509 authentication with a password, for example by setting a “cas.authn.x509.ldap.ldap-url” and “cas.authn.x509.ldap.bind-credential” properties, X509CredentialsAuthenticationHandler fetches revocation URLs from the certificate, which can be LDAP urls. When making requests to this LDAP urls, Apereo CAS uses the same password as for initially configured LDAP server, which can lead to a password leak. An unauthenticated user can leak the password used to LDAP connection configured on server. This issue has been addressed in version 6.6.6. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
- Record
CVE-2023-28857- CVSS 3.1
- 4.0 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N - CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-200, CWE-522
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
4.0
LDAP password leak in Apereo CAS - GHSL-2023-009
Apereo CAS is an open source multilingual single sign-on solution for the web. Apereo CAS can be configured to use authentication based on client X509 certificates. These certificates can be provided via TLS handshake or a special HTTP header, such as “ssl_client_cert”. When checking the validity of the provided client certificate, X509CredentialsAuthenticationHandler performs check that this certificate is not revoked. To do so, it fetches URLs provided in the “CRL Distribution Points” extension of the certificate, which are taken from the certificate itself and therefore can be controlled by a malicious user. If the CAS server is configured to use an LDAP server for x509 authentication with a password, for example by setting a “cas.authn.x509.ldap.ldap-url” and “cas.authn.x509.ldap.bind-credential” properties, X509CredentialsAuthenticationHandler fetches revocation URLs from the certificate, which can be LDAP urls. When making requests to this LDAP urls, Apereo CAS uses the same password as for initially configured LDAP server, which can lead to a password leak. An unauthenticated user can leak the password used to LDAP connection configured on server. This issue has been addressed in version 6.6.6. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
- Record
CVE-2023-28857- CVSS 3.1
- 4.0 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-200
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVGHSA-p78h-m8pv-g9gm
6.3
Apereo CAS vulnerable to credential leaks for LDAP authentication
Apereo CAS is an open source multilingual single sign-on solution for the web. Apereo CAS can be configured to use authentication based on client X509 certificates. These certificates can be provided via TLS handshake or a special HTTP header, such as “ssl_client_cert”. When checking the validity of the provided client certificate, X509CredentialsAuthenticationHandler performs check that this certificate is not revoked. To do so, it fetches URLs provided in the “CRL Distribution Points” extension of the certificate, which are taken from the certificate itself and therefore can be controlled by a malicious user. If the CAS server is configured to use an LDAP server for x509 authentication with a password, for example by setting a “cas.authn.x509.ldap.ldap-url” and “cas.authn.x509.ldap.bind-credential” properties, X509CredentialsAuthenticationHandler fetches revocation URLs from the certificate, which can be LDAP urls. When making requests to this LDAP urls, Apereo CAS uses the same password as for initially configured LDAP server, which can lead to a password leak. An unauthenticated user can leak the password used to LDAP connection configured on server. This issue has been addressed in version 6.6.6. Users are advised to upgrade. There are no known workarounds for this vulnerability.
- Record
GHSA-p78h-m8pv-g9gm- CVSS 4.0
- 6.3 Medium
CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:L/SI:N/SA:N - CVSS 3.1
- 4.0 Medium
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:N/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-200, CWE-522
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
org.apereo.cas:cas-server-support-x509-coreMaven |
6.5.0 up to 6.6.6 | 6.6.6 |
org.apereo.cas:cas-server-support-x509-coreMaven |
6.5.0 up to 6.6.6, plus listed versions 6.5.16.5.26.5.36.5.46.5.5 Show 19 moreShow less6.5.66.5.76.5.86.5.96.5.9.16.5.9.26.5.9.36.5.9.46.6.06.6.0-RC16.6.0-RC26.6.0-RC36.6.0-RC46.6.0-RC56.6.16.6.26.6.36.6.46.6.5 |
6.6.6 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| aliases, published | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2023-28857 is a medium vulnerability (CVSS 4.0) in Apereo Cas, published June 27, 2023. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.50%, the 43rd percentile. Fixed in org.apereo.cas:cas-server-support-x509-core 6.6.6.
References
securitylab.github.com/advisories/GHSL-2023-009_Apereo_CAS
apereo.github.io/2023/02/20/x509-vuln
github.com/apereo/cas/releases/tag/v6.6.6
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-28857
github.com/graciantrivino/cas/blob/b90003f43a8ac0382d5416ceb01074feb936bf24/cas-server-support-x509/src/main/java/org/jasig/cas/adaptors/x509/authentication/handler/support/X509CredentialsAuthenticationHandler.java
securitylab.github.com/advisories
github.com/advisories/GHSA-p78h-m8pv-g9gm
github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2023/28xxx/CVE-2023-28857.json
github.com/apereo/cas