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JHipster Kotlin using insecure source of randomness `RandomStringUtils` before v1.2.0

Critical severity GitHub Reviewed Published Jun 23, 2020 in jhipster/jhipster-kotlin • Updated Jan 20, 2023

Package

npm generator-jhipster-kotlin (npm)

Affected versions

< 1.2.0

Patched versions

1.2.0

Description

JHipster Kotlin is using an insecure source of randomness to generate all of its random values. JHipster Kotlin relies upon apache commons lang3 RandomStringUtils.

From the documentation:

Caveat: Instances of Random, upon which the implementation of this class relies, are not cryptographically secure.
- https://commons.apache.org/proper/commons-lang/javadocs/api-3.9/org/apache/commons/lang3/RandomStringUtils.html

Here are the examples of JHipster Kotlin's use of an insecure PRNG:

https://github.com/jhipster/jhipster-kotlin/blob/193ae8f13c0be686f9687e78bacfedb144c47d8c/generators/server/templates/src/main/kotlin/package/service/util/RandomUtil.kt.ejs#L32

Proof Of Concepts Already Exist

There has been a POC of taking one RNG value generated RandomStringUtils and reversing it to generate all of the past/future RNG values public since March 3rd, 2018.

https://medium.com/@alex91ar/the-java-soothsayer-a-practical-application-for-insecure-randomness-c67b0cd148cd

POC Repository: https://github.com/alex91ar/randomstringutils

Potential Impact Technical

All that is required is to get one password reset token from a JHipster Kotlin generated service and using the POC above, you can reverse what all future password reset tokens to be generated by this server. This allows an attacker to pick and choose what account they would like to takeover by sending account password reset requests for targeted accounts.

Potential Impact Scale

Not as large as for the original jhipster project as the kotlin blueprint is not that widely used.

Patches

Update your generated applications to > 1.2.0

Workarounds

Change the content of RandomUtil.kt like this:

import java.security.SecureRandom
import org.apache.commons.lang3.RandomStringUtils

private const val DEF_COUNT = 20

object RandomUtil {
    private val secureRandom: SecureRandom = SecureRandom()

    init {
        secureRandom.nextBytes(byteArrayOf(64.toByte()))
    }

    private fun generateRandomAlphanumericString(): String {
        return RandomStringUtils.random(DEF_COUNT, 0, 0, true, true, null, secureRandom)
    }

    /**
    * Generate a password.
    *
    * @return the generated password.
    */
    fun generatePassword(): String = generateRandomAlphanumericString()
}

Important is to exchange every call of RandomStringUtils.randomAlphaNumeric.

For more information

If you have any questions or comments about this advisory:

References

Published by the National Vulnerability Database Sep 14, 2019
@sendilkumarn sendilkumarn published to jhipster/jhipster-kotlin Jun 23, 2020
Reviewed Jun 26, 2020
Published to the GitHub Advisory Database Jun 26, 2020
Last updated Jan 20, 2023

Severity

Critical

CVSS overall score

This score calculates overall vulnerability severity from 0 to 10 and is based on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
/ 10

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS v3 base metrics

Attack vector: More severe the more the remote (logically and physically) an attacker can be in order to exploit the vulnerability.
Attack complexity: More severe for the least complex attacks.
Privileges required: More severe if no privileges are required.
User interaction: More severe when no user interaction is required.
Scope: More severe when a scope change occurs, e.g. one vulnerable component impacts resources in components beyond its security scope.
Confidentiality: More severe when loss of data confidentiality is highest, measuring the level of data access available to an unauthorized user.
Integrity: More severe when loss of data integrity is the highest, measuring the consequence of data modification possible by an unauthorized user.
Availability: More severe when the loss of impacted component availability is highest.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

EPSS score

2.043%
(89th percentile)

Weaknesses

CVE ID

CVE-2019-16303

GHSA ID

GHSA-j3rh-8vwq-wh84

Credits

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