#VU46680 Improper Authentication in ActiveMQ - CVE-2020-11998

Vulnerability identifier: #VU46680

Vulnerability risk: High

CVSSv4.0: 8.1 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Amber]

CVE-ID: CVE-2020-11998

CWE-ID: CWE-287

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
ActiveMQ
Server applications / Mail servers

Vendor: Apache Foundation

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote client to bypass authentication process.

The vulnerability exists due to an error in authentication process, caused by incorrect implementation of protection measures against JMX re-bind attack. A remote attacker can bypass authentication process by passing an empty environment map to RMIConnectorServer, instead of the map that contains the authentication credentials.As a result, a remote client can create javax.management.loading.MLet MBean and use it to create new MBeans from arbitrary URLs.

Successful exploitation of the vulnerability may allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on the target system.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

ActiveMQ: 5.15.12

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External links
https://activemq.apache.org/security-advisories.data/CVE-2020-11998-announcement.txt

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.