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NVD / CVE Program· CNA apache

CVE-2025-68161: Apache Log4j Core: Missing TLS hostname verification in Socket appender

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 25/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.76% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 55.4% of all records.
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. Special conditions such as timing or configuration are required.
  • Fixed version: Apache Software Foundation Apache Log4j Core 2.25.3.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Apache Software Foundation Apache Log4j Core 2.25.3 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

The Socket Appender in Apache Log4j Core versions 2.0-beta9 through 2.25.2 does not perform TLS hostname verification of the peer certificate, even when the verifyHostName https://logging.apache.org/log4j/2.x/manual/appenders/network.html#SslConfiguration-attr-verifyHostName configuration attribute or the log4j2.sslVerifyHostName https://logging.apache.org/log4j/2.x/manual/systemproperties.html#log4j2.sslVerifyHostName system property is set to true. This issue may allow a man-in-the-middle attacker to intercept or redirect log traffic under the following conditions: * The attacker is able to intercept or redirect network traffic between the client and the log receiver. * The attacker can present a server certificate issued by a certification authority trusted by the Socket Appender’s configured trust store (or by the default Java trust store if no custom trust store is configured). Users are advised to upgrade to Apache Log4j Core version 2.25.3, which addresses this issue. As an alternative mitigation, the Socket Appender may be configured to use a private or restricted trust root to limit the set of trusted certificates.

MediumCVSS 6.3 · v4.0—No exploit Fix available
Published
Dec 18, 2025
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
0.7% · 55th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

25

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
25 / 40 · 6.3 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.7%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · apache
6.3
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:L/SA:N

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2025-68161

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
apachelog4j

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This vulnerability is about certificate validation or weak cryptography. The free SSL checker tests your certificate, enabled TLS versions and weak ciphers.

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Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • apache log4j2.0.1 and later · before 2.25.3
  • apache log4j2.0

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (apache). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Apache Software Foundation Apache Log4j Core

    • 2.0-beta9 and later · before 2.25.3affected · maven
    • 3.0.0-alpha1 and later · up to and including 3.0.0-beta3affected · maven

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:11apache-log4j2before 2.17.1-1~deb11u22.17.1-1~deb11u2
Debian:12apache-log4j2from 0—
Mavenorg.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-corefrom 2.0-beta9 · before 2.25.32.25.3
openSUSE:Leap 15.6log4jbefore 2.20.0-150200.4.30.12.20.0-150200.4.30.1
openSUSE:Leap 16.0corednsbefore 1.14.0-bp160.1.11.14.0-bp160.1.1
openSUSE:Tumbleweedlog4jbefore 2.20.0-1.12.20.0-1.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7log4jbefore 2.20.0-150200.4.30.12.20.0-150200.4.30.1

Same product

apache: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2021-44228Apache Log4j2 JNDI features do not protect against attacker controlled LDAP and other JNDI related endpointsKEV
    100Now
  • CVE-2021-45046Apache Log4j2 Thread Context Message Pattern and Context Lookup Pattern vulnerable to a denial of service attackKEV
    96Now
  • CVE-2017-5645In Apache Log4j 2.x before 2.8.2, when using the TCP socket server or UDP socket server to receive serialized log events from another applic
    66This week

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2022-23305Jan 18, 2022 · SQL injection in JDBC Appender in Apache Log4j V1
    59Plan
  • ← EarlierCVE-2023-26464Mar 10, 2023 · Apache Log4j 1.x (EOL) allows DoS in Chainsaw and SocketAppender
    31Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2026-34477Apr 10, 2026 · Apache Log4j Core: verifyHostName attribute silently ignored in TLS configuration, allowing hostname verification bypass
    25Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Apache Software Foundation Apache Log4j Core2.25.3Vendor (CNA)
debian:apache-log4j22.17.1-1~deb11u2 · Debian:11Package registry (OSV)
Maven:org.apache.logging.log4j:log4j-core2.25.3Package registry (OSV)
opensuse:coredns1.14.0-bp160.1.1 · openSUSE:Leap 16.0Package registry (OSV)
opensuse:log4j2.20.0-150200.4.30.1 · openSUSE:Leap 15.6Package registry (OSV)
suse:log4j2.20.0-150200.4.30.1 · SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP7Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

  • CVE-2026-34477113 days apartApache Log4j Core: verifyHostName attribute silently ignored in TLS configuration, allowing hostname verification bypass
    25Monitor

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • No user action is required.
  • Special conditions such as timing or configuration are required.

If successful

Confidentiality
Integrity
Availability
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
High
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
X

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-297 · Improper Validation of Certificate with Host Mismatch

CVSS vector

CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:H/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:L/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X

nvd-secondary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

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References

Show all references (6 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records