Timing Attack Vulnerability in SCRAM Authentication
### Impact A timing attack vulnerability exists in the SCRAM Java implementation. The issue arises because `Arrays.equals` was used to compare secret values such as client proofs and server signatures. Since `Arrays.equals` performs a short-circuit comparison, the execution time varies depending on how many leading bytes match. This behavior could allow an attacker to perform a timing side-channel attack and potentially infer sensitive authentication material. All users relying on SCRAM authentication are impacted. ### Patches This vulnerability has been patched by replacing `Arrays.equals` with `MessageDigest.isEqual`, which ensures constant-time comparison. Users should upgrade to version **3.2** or later to mitigate this issue. ### Workarounds Because the attack requires high precision and repeated attempts, the risk is limited, but the only reliable mitigation is to upgrade to a patched release (version 3.2 or later). ### References - [Java `MessageDigest.isEqual` Documentation](https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/25/docs/api/java.base/java/security/MessageDigest.html#isEqual(byte[],byte[]))
describes (1)
Related CVEs.
| ID | severity | exploitable | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2025-59432US | — | — | ||
SCRAM (Salted Challenge Response Authentication Mechanism) is part of the family of Simple Authentication and Security Layer (SASL, RFC 4422) authentication mechanisms. Prior to ve… | ||||
references
External citations — patches, advisories, analysis.
- https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/25/docs/api/java.base/java/security/MessageDigest.html#isEqual(byte%5B%5D,byte%5B%5D)WEB
- https://github.com/ongres/scramPACKAGE
- https://github.com/ongres/scram/commit/e0b0cf99f05406a0d26682c72fcb5728e95124b3WEB
- https://github.com/ongres/scram/security/advisories/GHSA-3wfh-36rx-9537WEB
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-59432ADVISORY
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