Summary
OpenDJ SASL PLAIN authzid bypassing the proxy ACI scope check
When a SASL PLAIN bind supplies an authorization identity (authzid) that resolves to a different user, PlainSASLMechanismHandler verified only the PROXIED_AUTH privilege and never evaluated the "proxy" access-control right (the mayProxy ACI scope check). As a result, any account holding the proxied-auth privilege could assume any resolvable non-root identity without being granted a proxy ACI for that target.
This diverges from every other proxy path in OpenDJ, the proxied-authorization controls (RFC 4370) and the DIGEST-MD5 / GSSAPI authzid handlers all require both the privilege and the mayProxy scope grant.
Workaround
Restrict or revoke the proxied-auth privilege until upgraded.
Impact
Privilege escalation / authorization bypass: a holder of proxied-auth can act as arbitrary directory users beyond the scope intended by the deployment's proxy ACIs, defeating the ACI-based restriction on which identities may be impersonated. Root/Directory Manager is not assumable this way.
GHSA-P279-2CQP-84JG has a CVSS score of 9.6 (Critical). The vector is network-reachable, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (5.1.2); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
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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See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
Enforce the mayProxy scope check on the SASL PLAIN authzid path (both dn: and u:/bare forms), sharing one hasProxyAccess helper with the DIGEST-MD5/GSSAPI path. Denial returns INVALID_CREDENTIALS (49) before password verification, matching DIGEST-MD5/GSSAPI, so an unauthenticated client cannot distinguish a missing privilege from a missing ACI grant.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is GHSA-P279-2CQP-84JG? GHSA-P279-2CQP-84JG is a critical-severity security vulnerability in org.openidentityplatform.opendj:opendj-server-legacy (maven), affecting versions <= 5.1.1. It is fixed in 5.1.2.
- How severe is GHSA-P279-2CQP-84JG? GHSA-P279-2CQP-84JG has a CVSS score of 9.6 (Critical). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of org.openidentityplatform.opendj:opendj-server-legacy are affected by GHSA-P279-2CQP-84JG? org.openidentityplatform.opendj:opendj-server-legacy (maven) versions <= 5.1.1 is affected.
- Is there a fix for GHSA-P279-2CQP-84JG? Yes. GHSA-P279-2CQP-84JG is fixed in 5.1.2. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is GHSA-P279-2CQP-84JG exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether GHSA-P279-2CQP-84JG 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 GHSA-P279-2CQP-84JG 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.
- How do I fix GHSA-P279-2CQP-84JG? Upgrade
org.openidentityplatform.opendj:opendj-server-legacyto 5.1.2 or later.