CVE-2020-11998: Activemq parent Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

CRITICAL
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-wqfh-9m4g-7x6x
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CVSS 9.8
CWE-94
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2020-11998 is a CRITICAL (CVSS 9.8) remote code execution vulnerability (CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')) affecting Activemq parent libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The issue involves remote code execution in apache activemq. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 5.15.13.

CVE-2020-11998 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2020-11998
GHSA Identifier GHSA-wqfh-9m4g-7x6x
Severity CRITICAL
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 9.8
CWE Classification CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection')
Affected Product Activemq parent
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 9.8

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:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

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

How to Fix CVE-2020-11998

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: 5.15.13 
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apache.activemq</groupId>
    <artifactId>activemq-parent</artifactId>
    <version>5.15.13</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-2020-11998, 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 5.15.13), 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-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection'), where the product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment. 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

A regression has been introduced in the commit preventing JMX re-bind. By passing an empty environment map to RMIConnectorServer, instead of the map that contains the authentication credentials, it leaves ActiveMQ open to the following attack - A remote client could create a javax.management.loading.MLet MBean and use it to create new MBeans from arbitrary URLs, at least if there is no security manager. In other words, a rogue remote client could make your Java application execute arbitrary code. Mitigation - Upgrade to Apache ActiveMQ 5.15.13

CVE-2020-11998 Affected Activemq parent Versions

1 component(s)
Fixed Versions:
5.15.13
Product / Package Ecosystem Affected Versions Fixed Version
org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent
maven/org.apache.activemq/activemq-parent
Maven
≥ 5.15.12
< 5.15.13
All 1 versions
5.15.12
5.15.13

References

NVD — CVE-2020-11998 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-11998
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/apache/activemq/commit/0d6e5f2
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/apache/activemq/commit/88b78d0
Security Fix Commit FIX COMMIT
https://github.com/apache/activemq/commit/aa8900c
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r946488... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r946488fb942fd35c6a6e0359f52504a558ed438574a8f14d36d7dcd7@%3Ccommits.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rb2fd3b... WEB
https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rb2fd3bf2dce042e0ab3f3c94c4767c96bb2e7e6737624d63162df36d@%3Ccommits.activemq.apache.org%3E
Activemq parent Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html
Activemq parent Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuApr2021.html
Activemq parent Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2021.html
Activemq parent Security Information SECURITY
https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.html
Activemq parent Security Information SECURITY
http://activemq.apache.org/security-advisories.data/CVE-2020-11998-announcement.txt

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-11998?
CVE-2020-11998 is a security vulnerability in Activemq parent involving Remote code execution in Apache ActiveMQ under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection').
Which Activemq parent versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to 5.15.13 across affected packages: org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent.
What version fixes CVE-2020-11998?
Upgrading to 5.15.13 (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 5.15.13. Upgrade your dependency to 5.15.13 or later.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2020-11998?
CVE-2020-11998 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2020-11998?
CVE-2020-11998 is classified under CWE-94: Improper Control of Generation of Code ('Code Injection') (The product constructs all or part of a code segment using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the syntax or behavior of the intended code segment.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2020-11998?
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
View Raw JSON 
{
  "schema_version" : "1.4.0",
  "id" : "GHSA-wqfh-9m4g-7x6x",
  "modified" : "2024-03-14T21:56:27Z",
  "published" : "2022-02-09T22:14:58Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2020-11998" ],
  "summary" : "Remote code execution in Apache ActiveMQ",
  "details" : "A regression has been introduced in the commit preventing JMX re-bind. By passing an empty environment map to RMIConnectorServer, instead of the map that contains the authentication credentials, it leaves ActiveMQ open to the following attack - A remote client could create a javax.management.loading.MLet MBean and use it to create new MBeans from arbitrary URLs, at least if there is no security manager. In other words, a rogue remote client could make your Java application execute arbitrary code. Mitigation - Upgrade to Apache ActiveMQ 5.15.13",
  "severity" : [ {
    "type" : "CVSS_V3",
    "score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
  } ],
  "affected" : [ {
    "package" : {
      "ecosystem" : "Maven",
      "name" : "org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent"
    },
    "ranges" : [ {
      "type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
      "events" : [ {
        "introduced" : "5.15.12"
      }, {
        "fixed" : "5.15.13"
      } ]
    } ],
    "versions" : [ "5.15.12" ]
  } ],
  "references" : [ {
    "type" : "ADVISORY",
    "url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-11998"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/activemq/commit/0d6e5f2"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/activemq/commit/88b78d0"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://github.com/apache/activemq/commit/aa8900c"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/r946488fb942fd35c6a6e0359f52504a558ed438574a8f14d36d7dcd7@%3Ccommits.activemq.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/rb2fd3bf2dce042e0ab3f3c94c4767c96bb2e7e6737624d63162df36d@%3Ccommits.activemq.apache.org%3E"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuApr2021.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpujan2021.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.html"
  }, {
    "type" : "WEB",
    "url" : "http://activemq.apache.org/security-advisories.data/CVE-2020-11998-announcement.txt"
  } ],
  "database_specific" : {
    "cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-94" ],
    "severity" : "CRITICAL",
    "github_reviewed" : true,
    "github_reviewed_at" : "2021-04-05T23:02:39Z",
    "nvd_published_at" : "2020-09-10T19:15:00Z"
  }
}