CVE-2020-15134

Public Exploit
Missing TLS certificate verification in Faye

Description

Faye before version 1.4.0, there is a lack of certification validation in TLS handshakes. Faye uses em-http-request and faye-websocket in the Ruby version of its client. Those libraries both use the `EM::Connection#start_tls` method in EventMachine to implement the TLS handshake whenever a `wss:` URL is used for the connection. This method does not implement certificate verification by default, meaning that it does not check that the server presents a valid and trusted TLS certificate for the expected hostname. That means that any `https:` or `wss:` connection made using these libraries is vulnerable to a man-in-the-middle attack, since it does not confirm the identity of the server it is connected to. The first request a Faye client makes is always sent via normal HTTP, but later messages may be sent via WebSocket. Therefore it is vulnerable to the same problem that these underlying libraries are, and we needed both libraries to support TLS verification before Faye could claim to do the same. Your client would still be insecure if its initial HTTPS request was verified, but later WebSocket connections were not. This is fixed in Faye v1.4.0, which enables verification by default. For further background information on this issue, please see the referenced GitHub Advisory.

Category

8.0
CVSS
Severity: High
CVSS 3.1 •
CVSS 2.0 •
EPSS 0.12%
Third-Party Advisory jcoglan.com Third-Party Advisory github.com
Affected: faye faye
Published at:
Updated at:

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the severity of CVE-2020-15134?
CVE-2020-15134 has been scored as a high severity vulnerability.
How to fix CVE-2020-15134?
To fix CVE-2020-15134, make sure you are using an up-to-date version of the affected component(s) by checking the vendor release notes. As for now, there are no other specific guidelines available.
Is CVE-2020-15134 being actively exploited in the wild?
It is possible that CVE-2020-15134 is being exploited or will be exploited in a near future based on public information. According to its EPSS score, there is a ~0% probability that this vulnerability will be exploited by malicious actors in the next 30 days.
What software or system is affected by CVE-2020-15134?
CVE-2020-15134 affects faye faye.
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