What is CVE-2012-5783?

CVE-2012-5783 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in commons-httpclient:commons-httpclient (maven), affecting versions >= 3.0, < 4.0. No fixed version is listed yet.

Which versions of commons-httpclient:commons-httpclient are affected by CVE-2012-5783?

commons-httpclient:commons-httpclient (maven) versions >= 3.0, < 4.0 is affected.

Is there a fix for CVE-2012-5783?

No fixed version is listed for CVE-2012-5783 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.

Is CVE-2012-5783 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2012-5783 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

What actually determines whether CVE-2012-5783 is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

CVE-2012-5783

Q: Which versions of commons-httpclient:commons-httpclient are affected by CVE-2012-5783?

commons-httpclient:commons-httpclient (maven) versions >= 3.0, < 4.0 is affected.

Q: Is there a fix for CVE-2012-5783?

No fixed version is listed for CVE-2012-5783 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.

Q: Is CVE-2012-5783 exploitable, and should I be worried?

Whether CVE-2012-5783 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk.

Q: What actually determines whether CVE-2012-5783 is exploitable, and how bad it is?

Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.

Summary

Improper Certificate Validation in Apache Commons HttpClient

Apache Commons HttpClient 3.x, as used in Amazon Flexible Payments Service (FPS) merchant Java SDK and other products, does not verify that the server hostname matches a domain name in the subject's Common Name (CN) or subjectAltName field of the X.509 certificate, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to spoof SSL servers via an arbitrary valid certificate.

Note that the Commons HttpClient project is end of life. It has been replaced by the Apache HttpComponents project in its HttpClient and HttpCore modules. CVE-2012-5783 has been patched in v4.0 of the Apache HttpComponents HttpClient module.

Impact

Affected versions

commons-httpclient:commons-httpclient (>= 3.0, < 4.0)

Security releases

Not available

Kodem intelligence

Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.

Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.

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Remediation advice

No fixed version is listed for CVE-2012-5783 yet.

Kodem Kai can prioritize this vulnerability in your dependency tree and generate a fix recommendation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2012-5783? CVE-2012-5783 is a medium-severity security vulnerability in commons-httpclient:commons-httpclient (maven), affecting versions >= 3.0, < 4.0. No fixed version is listed yet.
Which versions of commons-httpclient:commons-httpclient are affected by CVE-2012-5783? commons-httpclient:commons-httpclient (maven) versions >= 3.0, < 4.0 is affected.
Is there a fix for CVE-2012-5783? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2012-5783 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
Is CVE-2012-5783 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2012-5783 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
What actually determines whether CVE-2012-5783 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.