Apache has identified a critical design flaw in Apache Syncope, the widely used open-source identity management platform, that can expose user passwords stored in enterprise environments. The vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2025-65998 and has been classified as Important. It affects multiple major versions Syncope 2.1.14, 3.0.14, and 4.0.2. The issue occurs when Syncope is configured to encrypt passwords in its internal database using AES. A hard-coded AES key embedded in the source code is always used, regardless of deployment. While this AES encryption is not enabled by default, any deployment that has opted to use it is at risk. An attacker with access to the internal database could decrypt all stored passwords, potentially exposing sensitive user credentials. The flaw impacts password attributes only other encrypted plain attributes are not affected. Apache has not provided a patch for the 2.1 series and recommends upgrading to a supported release. The issue is resolved in Syncope 3.0.15 and 4.0.3, which replace the hard-coded key with a secure mechanism. Administrators should review their AES password storage configurations and upgrade immediately to prevent potential compromise. This advisory underscores the importance of avoiding hard-coded encryption keys and highlights the risk of storing sensitive information without unique, secure keys. Organizations using AES encryption in Syncope should take prompt action to safeguard user credentials.
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