Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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AccessConfigure non-standard AES key (admin)
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DeliverySyncope pads and logs key on startup
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ExploitAttacker gains log read access
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ExecutionExtract padded AES key from log
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ImpactUse recovered key to decrypt protected data
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A09:2025 - Security Logging & Alerting Failures
ASVS 5.0
V16 - Security Logging and Error Handling Log data sanitization
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| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires two concurrent conditions: (1) an AES key of non-standard length (anything other than exactly 16, 24, or 32 bytes) must have been configured in the affected Syncope instance - this is a misconfiguration, not a default deployment state; and (2) the attacker must have read access to Syncope's application log files or a log aggregation system that ingests them. Exploitation is limited by: log access is typically restricted to operators and administrators (not arbitrary remote users); the misconfiguration prerequisite means many correctly-deployed instances are unaffected; and the vulnerability is passive - the key material is only exposed if it was previously logged during a misconfigured startup. The vulnerability does not allow remote code execution, authentication bypass, or exploitation without pre-existing log access. |
| Impact | No CVSS score is provided by NVD; the following is analyst-assessed. The real-world risk hinges on two conditions: (1) the operator must have supplied a non-standard-length AES key, which is a misconfiguration rather than the default, and (2) an adversary must have access to Syncope's application logs. Log access is typically restricted to administrators or log-aggregation-platform readers - not arbitrary network users. The confidentiality impact of the exposed material is high, however: a recovered AES key enables decryption of any data it protects. EPSS data is not available for this CVE, and it is not listed in CISA KEV, consistent with no confirmed active exploitation. The combination of the misconfiguration prerequisite, the log-access requirement, and the absence of a public exploit suggests this is a meaningful but not immediately critical issue for most deployments. The primary real-world risk is insider threat or log exfiltration scenarios where an attacker with partial access (log reader) gains cryptographic material they should not possess. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An administrator configures a 20-byte AES key in Apache Syncope (non-standard length); Syncope silently pads it to 24 bytes and logs the full derived key during startup or configuration reload. A threat actor with read access to the centralized log aggregation platform - such as a SOC analyst, a compromised log shipper, or an insider - extracts the key from the log stream and uses it to decrypt data at rest that Syncope protects with that AES key. No public exploit code has been identified at time of analysis. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Sep 14, 2026
Sensitive AES key material is written in plaintext to Apache Syncope application logs under a specific misconfiguration condition. When an operator configures an AES key whose byte length deviates from standard values (16, 24, or 32 bytes), Syncope silently pads it with random characters to reach a valid length - and then logs the resulting padded key value. Any party with access to the application logs (e.g., log aggregation systems, monitoring personnel, or local server access) can recover the full AES encryption key, potentially allowing decryption of data protected by that key. No public exploit has been identified at time of analysis; vendor-released patches exist in versions 4.0.8 and 4.1.3.
RemediationAI
Upgrade to Apache Syncope 4.0.8 or 4.1.3, which are confirmed to fix this issue per the vendor advisory (https://lists.apache.org/thread/3t3om8mny7ng52q053pdzpmtdtosnqoo). The fix prevents the padded AES key from being written to application logs. As an immediate compensating control, audit existing log files for any padded AES key values that may have already been recorded, then rotate the affected AES key if one was ever configured with a non-standard length - the key itself may already be compromised if logs were accessible to unintended parties. Restrict access to Syncope application logs to the minimum necessary personnel and ensure log shipping pipelines apply appropriate access controls. Using a standard-length AES key (exactly 16, 24, or 32 bytes) prevents the padding code path from being triggered in vulnerable versions, though upgrading remains the recommended fix.
Affected VersionsENISA
Affected Packages
Source: OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities)
Affects your stack
Affects 1 package in euvd
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Technical ContextAI · show details
Apache Syncope is an open-source Identity and Access Management (IAM) platform used in enterprise environments for provisioning digital identities, roles, and resources. It uses AES symmetric encryption internally for protecting sensitive configuration values. AES requires keys of exactly 128, 192, or 256 bits (16, 24, or 32 bytes); when an operator supplies a non-conformant key length, Syncope pads the key to the nearest valid size using randomly generated characters. The root cause (CWE-532: Insertion of Sensitive Information into Log File) is that this derived, padded key is emitted to the application log at an informational or debug level rather than being silently discarded or masked. Affected CPE: cpe:2.3:a:apache_software_foundation:apache_syncope covering versions 3.0.15-3.0.16, 4.0.3-4.0.7, and 4.1.0-M0 through 4.1.2.
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Severity by source
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Non-default key length required (AC:H); log read access needed (PR:L); AES key fully exposed (C:H) with no integrity or availability impact.
Primary rating from Vendor (apache).
CVSS VectorVendor: apache
Lifecycle Timeline
2DescriptionCVE.org
Insertion of sensitive information into log file vulnerability in Apache Syncope.
When AES key of non-standard length (not 16/24/32 bytes) is configured, Syncope will pad the provided value with random characters. The resulting key value is logged.
This issue affects Apache Syncope: from 3.0.15 through 3.0.16, from 4.0.3 through 4.0.7, from 4.1.0-M0 through 4.1.2.
Users are recommended to upgrade to version 4.0.8 / 4.1.3, which fix this issue.
Executive ViewAI
Apache Syncope encryption keys are exposed in plaintext within application logs when administrators configure non-standard AES key sizes. Any user with access to application logs, including logging systems and operations staff, can extract these keys and decrypt sensitive data encrypted with them. Organizations using unpatched versions face immediate confidentiality compromise without evidence of active exploitation.
Apply vendor patch.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.
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EUVD-2026-77372
GHSA-2987-fvqf-8g2j
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB