# CVE-2012-5784: Man-in-the-middle attack in Apache Axis > Man-in-the-middle attackers can spoof SSL servers due to missing hostname verification in Apache Axis, compromising secure communications. - **Severity:** Medium 5.8 (`AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:N`) - **Exploited in the wild:** Not known - **Login needed:** Not needed - **Attackable:** Over the internet - **Victim action needed:** Not needed - **Fix available:** Yes - **Published:** 4 Nov 2012 - **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024 - **Also known as:** DEBIAN-CVE-2012-5784, GHSA-55w9-c3g2-4rrh, MGASA-2013-0200, RHSA-2013:0269, RHSA-2013:0683, RHSA-2014:1123 ## What is CVE-2012-5784? CVE-2012-5784 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Apache Activemq, published on 4 Nov 2012. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim. ### Official description Apache Axis 1.4 and earlier, as used in PayPal Payments Pro, PayPal Mass Pay, PayPal Transactional Information SOAP, the Java Message Service implementation in Apache ActiveMQ, 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. Weakness: CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation) ## Which versions are affected by CVE-2012-5784? 4 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.apache.axis:axis and axis:axis. It affects 5 products. | Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | `org.apache.axis:axis` | Maven | All versions to 1.4 | None | | `org.apache.axis:axis` | Maven | All versions to 1.4 | None | | `axis:axis` | Maven | All versions to 1.4 | None | | `axis:axis` | Maven | All versions to 1.4 | None | | `devtoolset-2-axis` | Red Hat:developer_toolset:2.1::el6 | All versions | 0:1.4-23.el6 | | `axis` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::server | All versions | 0:1.2.1-2jpp.7.el5_9 | | `axis-debuginfo` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::server | All versions | 0:1.2.1-2jpp.7.el5_9 | | `axis-javadoc` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::server | All versions | 0:1.2.1-2jpp.7.el5_9 | | `axis-manual` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:5::server | All versions | 0:1.2.1-2jpp.7.el5_9 | | `axis` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client | All versions | 0:1.2.1-7.3.el6_3 | | `axis-javadoc` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client | All versions | 0:1.2.1-7.3.el6_3 | | `axis-manual` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::client | All versions | 0:1.2.1-7.3.el6_3 | | `axis` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode | All versions | 0:1.2.1-7.3.el6_3 | | `axis-javadoc` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode | All versions | 0:1.2.1-7.3.el6_3 | | `axis-manual` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::computenode | All versions | 0:1.2.1-7.3.el6_3 | | `axis` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server | All versions | 0:1.2.1-7.3.el6_3 | | `axis-javadoc` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server | All versions | 0:1.2.1-7.3.el6_3 | | `axis-manual` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::server | All versions | 0:1.2.1-7.3.el6_3 | | `axis` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation | All versions | 0:1.2.1-7.3.el6_3 | | `axis-javadoc` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation | All versions | 0:1.2.1-7.3.el6_3 | | `axis-manual` | Red Hat:enterprise_linux:6::workstation | All versions | 0:1.2.1-7.3.el6_3 | Products: Apache Activemq, Apache Axis, Paypal Mass Pay, Paypal Payments Pro, Paypal Transactional Information Soap. ## How do I fix CVE-2012-5784? Upgrade to a fixed version. ## Is CVE-2012-5784 being exploited? There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-5784 in the wild and no public exploit code. ## Other vulnerabilities in Apache Activemq - [CVE-2023-46604](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-46604/): Apache ActiveMQ Deserialization of Untrusted Data (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2016-3088](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-3088/): Apache ActiveMQ Improper Input Validation (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2026-34197](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-34197/): Apache ActiveMQ Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2020-11998](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-11998/): Remote code execution in Apache ActiveMQ (critical 9.8) - [CVE-2013-7285](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-7285/): Command Injection in Xstream (critical 9.8) ## Fix prompt for AI coding agents ```text Check this codebase for CVE-2012-5784 and fix it if it is affected. What it is: CVE-2012-5784 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Apache Activemq, published on 4 Nov 2012. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim. Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-5784 in the wild and no public exploit code. Affected packages and fixed versions: - org.apache.axis:axis (Maven): affected all versions up to 1.4; no fix listed - org.apache.axis:axis (Maven): affected all versions up to 1.4; no fix listed - axis:axis (Maven): affected all versions up to 1.4; no fix listed - axis:axis (Maven): affected all versions up to 1.4; no fix listed Task: 1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies. 2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it. 3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead. 4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why. 5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing. Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-5784/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-5784/index.md) ``` ## Sources - CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2012-5784 - NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-5784 - OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2012-5784 --- From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-5784/ Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.