CVE-2020-13947: Activemq parent Cross-Site Scripting Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-66gw-ch5v-74v8
CVSS 6.1
CWE-79
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-13947 is a MODERATE (CVSS 6.1) cross-site scripting vulnerability (CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')) affecting Activemq parent libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves cross-site scripting (xss) in apache activemq. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 5.16.1, 5.15.14.

CVE-2020-13947 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-13947
GHSA Identifier GHSA-66gw-ch5v-74v8
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 6.1
CWE Classification CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting')
Affected Product Activemq parent
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 6.1

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).

Attack Vector Network (AV:N)
Attack Complexity Low (AC:L)
Privileges Required None (PR:N)
User Interaction Required (UI:R)
Scope Changed (S:C)
Confidentiality Low (C:L)
Integrity Low (I:L)
Availability None (A:N)

How to Fix CVE-2020-13947

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Activemq parent dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent fixed: 5.16.1
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.activemq</groupId>
    <artifactId>activemq-parent</artifactId>
    <version>5.16.1</version>
</dependency>
org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent fixed: 5.15.14
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.activemq</groupId>
    <artifactId>activemq-parent</artifactId>
    <version>5.15.14</version>
</dependency>
Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.activemq

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2020-13947, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.activemq

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Activemq parent in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 5.16.1), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.activemq command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting'), where the product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users. In Activemq parent, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

An instance of a cross-site scripting vulnerability was identified to be present in the web based administration console on the message.jsp page of Apache ActiveMQ versions 5.15.12 through 5.16.0.

CVE-2020-13947 Affected Activemq parent Versions

2 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
5.16.15.15.14
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent
Maven
≥ 5.16.0
< 5.16.1
5.16.1
org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent
Maven
< 5.15.14
5.15.14

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-13947?
CVE-2020-13947 is a security vulnerability in Activemq parent involving Cross-site scripting (XSS) in Apache ActiveMQ under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting').
Which Activemq parent versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 5.16.1, 5.15.14 across affected packages: org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent.
What version fixes CVE-2020-13947?
Upgrading to 5.16.1, 5.15.14 (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
Is activemq-parent affected?
Yes, org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent is affected in releases prior to 5.16.1, 5.15.14. Upgrade your dependency to 5.16.1, 5.15.14 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-13947?
CVE-2020-13947 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 6.1 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-13947?
CVE-2020-13947 is classified under CWE-79: Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation ('Cross-site Scripting') (The product does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes user-controllable input before it is placed in output that is used as a web page that is served to other users.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-13947?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree -Dincludes=org.apache.activemq'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-66gw-ch5v-74v8",
  "modified" : "2024-03-14T21:49:20Z",
  "published" : "2022-02-09T22:01:32Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-13947" ],
  "summary" : "Cross-site scripting (XSS) in Apache ActiveMQ",
  "details" : "An instance of a cross-site scripting vulnerability was identified to be present in the web based administration console on the message.jsp page of Apache ActiveMQ versions 5.15.12 through 5.16.0.",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.16.0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.16.1"
      } ]
    } ]
  }, {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "0"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.15.14"
      } ]
    } ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-13947"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/activemq/commit/177eb71c52069712bcc9fe14c70e079cc2671a80"
  }, {
    "type" : "PACKAGE",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/activemq"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/activemq/compare/activemq-5.16.0...activemq-5.16.1"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r021c490028f61c8b6f7e38efb98e61693b0cbb6b99b02238c6fc7d66@%3Ccommits.activemq.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ra66791f1f2b59fa651a81cec5202acdfbf34c2154fc0ff200301cc1c@%3Cdev.activemq.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/ra66791f1f2b59fa651a81cec5202acdfbf34c2154fc0ff200301cc1c@%3Cusers.activemq.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuApr2021.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://activemq.apache.org/security-advisories.data/CVE-2020-13947-announcement.txt"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-79" ],
    "severity" : "MODERATE",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-04-05T20:50:26Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2021-02-08T22:15:00Z"
  }
}