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CVE-2023-33201: Bouncy Castle For Java before 1.74 is affected by an LDAP injection vulnerability.

Bouncy Castle For Java before 1.74 is affected by an LDAP injection vulnerability. The vulnerability only affects applications that use an LDAP CertStore from Bouncy Castle to validate X.509 certificates. During the certificate validation process, Bouncy Castle inserts the certificate's Subject Name into an LDAP search filter without any escaping, which leads to an LDAP injection vulnerability.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2023-33201 affects Bouncy Castle for Java before 1.74 in a narrow certificate-validation scenario. Applications are at risk only if they use Bouncy Castle's LDAP CertStore to validate X.509 certificates. The issue could let certificate subject data alter an LDAP search filter. No source provided confirms active exploitation.

Executive priority

Treat this as a targeted dependency remediation item, not a broad emergency. Prioritize internet-facing or trust-sensitive Java systems that validate certificates using LDAP CertStore. The main work is dependency inventory, vendor patch tracking, and confirmation that affected validation paths are not present.

Technical view

During X.509 certificate validation, affected Bouncy Castle versions insert a certificate Subject Name into an LDAP search filter without escaping it. That creates LDAP injection risk when an application uses Bouncy Castle LDAP CertStore. The public bundle identifies versions before 1.74 as affected and points to an upstream commit and vendor advisories.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely in Java services bundling bc-java before 1.74 and configured to use LDAP CertStore for certificate path validation. General Bouncy Castle use, without LDAP CertStore certificate validation, is not identified as affected in the provided sources.

Exploitation context

The bundle does not include proof of active exploitation, KEV listing, exploit maturity, or public exploit details. Exploitability depends on whether attacker-controlled certificate subject data reaches the vulnerable LDAP CertStore validation flow.

Researcher notes

The key technical condition is LDAP CertStore use during X.509 validation. The flaw is unescaped Subject Name insertion into an LDAP search filter. Public evidence supplied does not include CVSS, CWE, affected CPEs, or active exploitation. Avoid broad claims about all Bouncy Castle consumers.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade Bouncy Castle for Java to version 1.74 or later.
  • Apply distribution or vendor security updates where Bouncy Castle is packaged transitively.
  • Check Bouncy Castle, Debian, NetApp, and product vendor guidance for affected deployments.
  • Inventory applications using LDAP CertStore for X.509 validation.
  • Review dependency trees for bundled or shaded bc-java versions before 1.74.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm deployed Bouncy Castle for Java versions are 1.74 or later.
  • Identify whether applications configure Bouncy Castle LDAP CertStore for certificate validation.
  • Check SBOMs and dependency lockfiles for transitive bc-java before 1.74.
  • Review vendor advisories for appliances or products embedding Bouncy Castle.
  • Document systems where LDAP CertStore is absent to support risk acceptance.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
7

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
0Timeline events
0ADP providers
6Source links

CVSS and timeline data

No CVSS vectors or timeline events were available in the normalized CVE source material.

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
n/an/an/aListed
Weakness

CWE details

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