CVE-2018-16115
CRITICALDescription
Lightbend Akka 2.5.x before 2.5.16 allows message disclosure and modification because of an RNG error. A random number generator is used in Akka Remoting for TLS (both classic and Artery Remoting). Akka allows configuration of custom random number generators. For historical reasons, Akka included the AES128CounterSecureRNG and AES256CounterSecureRNG random number generators. The implementations had a bug that caused the generated numbers to be repeated after only a few bytes. The custom RNG implementations were not configured by default but examples in the documentation showed (and therefore implicitly recommended) using the custom ones. This can be used by an attacker to compromise the communication if these random number generators are enabled in configuration. It would be possible to eavesdrop, replay, or modify the messages sent with Akka Remoting/Cluster.
How to fix
TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works
Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.
CVSS v3 Vector
Exploitability
Impact
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N
Exploit Intelligence
Moderate risk: more likely to be exploited than 65% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-338 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2008-0166 | High | 7.5 | 71% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2009-2367 | Critical | 9.8 | 23% | - | - |
| CVE-2024-29868 | Critical | 9.1 | 6.0% | - | - |
| CVE-2024-31497 | Medium | 5.9 | 5.8% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2021-43799 | High | 8.6 | 5.4% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2008-3280 | Medium | 5.9 | 4.0% | - | - |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2018-16115?
Upgrade akka to 2.5.16 or later.
Is CVE-2018-16115 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2018-16115 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 1.2% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 65% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2018-16115?
CVE-2018-16115 has a CVSS v3 base score of 9.1, rated critical. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
What does CVE-2018-16115 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for akka (NVD). Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2024-11-21.