The product uses the RSA algorithm but does not incorporate Optimal Asymmetric Encryption Padding (OAEP), which might weaken the encryption.
View on MITREPadding schemes are often used with cryptographic algorithms to make the plaintext less predictable and complicate attack efforts. The OAEP scheme is often used with RSA to nullify the impact of predictable common text.
Without OAEP in RSA encryption, it will take less work for an attacker to decrypt the data or to infer patterns from the ciphertext.
No mitigation information available for this CWE.
No detection method information available for this CWE.
The example below attempts to build an RSA cipher.
While the previous code successfully creates an RSA cipher, the cipher does not use padding. The following code creates an RSA cipher using OAEP.
public Cipher getRSACipher() {Cipher rsa = null;try {rsa = javax.crypto.Cipher.getInstance("RSA/NONE/NoPadding");}catch (java.security.NoSuchAlgorithmException e) {log("this should never happen", e);}catch (javax.crypto.NoSuchPaddingException e) {log("this should never happen", e);}return rsa;}The example below attempts to build an RSA cipher.
While the previous code successfully creates an RSA cipher, the cipher does not use padding. The following code creates an RSA cipher using OAEP.
public Cipher getRSACipher() {Cipher rsa = null;try {rsa = javax.crypto.Cipher.getInstance("RSA/ECB/OAEPWithMD5AndMGF1Padding");}catch (java.security.NoSuchAlgorithmException e) {log("this should never happen", e);}catch (javax.crypto.NoSuchPaddingException e) {log("this should never happen", e);}return rsa;}Additional facts reviewed against primary or authoritative security sources.
Documented detection approaches include Automated Static Analysis; recorded impacts include Bypass Protection Mechanism; related weaknesses include CWE-327. Use these source-defined anchors to turn CWE-780 into implementation, review, and verification checks for the affected component.
CWE-780: Use of RSA Algorithm without OAEP — MITRE CWEUse NIST SSDF practices to make prevention of CWE-780, Use of RSA Algorithm without OAEP, an explicit development outcome. Translate the CWE definition into security requirements and design constraints, choose safer implementation patterns and toolchain checks, and define acceptance evidence before release. Feed every confirmed occurrence back into the requirements, design review, and coding rules so the same root cause is removed across the product rather than patched in one location.
NIST SP 800-218 Secure Software Development Framework — National Institute of Standards and TechnologyUse CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog to test whether a vulnerability mapped to CWE-780, Use of RSA Algorithm without OAEP, has evidence of exploitation in the wild. Confirm the CVE-to-CWE root-cause mapping independently before attaching the example, then capture the affected product, required action, and remediation deadline. A missing KEV match is not evidence that the weakness is unexploited, and a KEV entry must not be generalized to every occurrence of this CWE.
Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog — Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security AgencyApply MITRE's full root-cause mapping guidance when using CWE-780, Use of RSA Algorithm without OAEP. Separate weakness language from attacker prerequisites and technical impact, check the entry's abstraction and vulnerability-mapping notes, and prefer the most specific Base or Variant supported by the evidence. Record the rejected alternatives and require an independent review before the mapping is used for remediation trends or program metrics.
CVE to CWE Root Cause Mapping Guidance — MITRE CWEApply MITRE's root-cause mapping quick tips to CWE-780, Use of RSA Algorithm without OAEP. Confirm the finding describes the causal weakness rather than an impact or attack pattern, compare the abstraction and mapping notes with plausible alternatives, and have a second reviewer challenge the selection. Preserve the evidence and reasoning so recurring defects can be measured against one consistent identifier.
CVE to CWE Root Cause Mapping Quick Tips — MITRE CWECWE-780: Use of RSA Algorithm without OAEP is a Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) entry maintained by MITRE. The product uses the RSA algorithm but does not incorporate Optimal Asymmetric Encryption Padding (OAEP), which might weaken the encryption. Padding schemes are often used with cryptographic algorithms to make the plaintext less predictable and complicate attack efforts. The OAEP scheme is often used with RSA to nullify the impact of predictable common text.
If exploited, CWE-780 (Use of RSA Algorithm without OAEP) it can compromise Access Control, leading to outcomes such as Bypass Protection Mechanism.
CWE-780 commonly affects Not Language-Specific. Note that weaknesses are often language-agnostic patterns, so secure coding practices apply broadly.
A CWE (Common Weakness Enumeration) like CWE-780 describes a category of software weakness — the underlying flaw type. A CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) identifies a specific, real-world vulnerability in a particular product. In short, a CWE is the kind of mistake, and a CVE is an instance of that mistake being found in software.