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Jboss Enterprise Application PlatformApplication · Redhat

CVE-2012-4549

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2013-01-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 6.0.0 or later.
See remediation →
74/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A flaw was found in JBoss Enterprise Application Platform. The `processInvocation` function within the `org.jboss.as.ejb3.security.AuthorizationInterceptor` component incorrectly authorizes all requests when no roles are defined for an Enterprise Java Beans (EJB) method invocation. This allows attackers to bypass intended access restrictions for EJB methods, leading to unauthorized access to sensitive functionalities.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

The AuthorizationInterceptor in JBoss EAP's EJB3 module contains a flaw where the processInvocation function incorrectly grants access to EJB methods when no security roles are defined. Instead of properly handling the missing role configuration (either by denying access or enforcing proper configuration), the interceptor authorizes all requests, allowing unauthenticated attackers to bypass intended access controls on sensitive EJB methods.

MitigationDefine explicit security roles for all EJB methods and apply the relevant JBoss EAP security update/patch. Alternatively, audit existing deployments to ensure no unprotected EJB methods are exposed.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Jboss Enterprise Application PlatformApplication
Affected:<= 6.0.0= 4.2.0= 4.3.0= 5.0.0= 5.0.1= 5.1.0= 5.1.1= 5.1.2= 5.2.0= 5.2.1= 5.2.2

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed JBoss EAP version
    Check the version file in the JBoss installation, typically in $JBOSS_HOME/readme.txt or $JBOSS_HOME/bin/run.sh --version, or check the manifest of jboss-eap.jar in the lib directory
    Affected if The installed version matches 4.2.0, 4.3.0, 5.0.0, 5.0.1, 5.1.0, 5.1.1, 5.1.2, 5.2.0, 5.2.1, 5.2.2 or is 6.0.0 or lower
  2. Verify EJB3 module is deployed
    Confirm the jboss-ejb3.jar or ejb3.deployer directory exists in the JBoss deployment folder, typically under $JBOSS_HOME/server/default/deploy/ or check for ejb3 interceptor chain configuration
    Affected if EJB3 session beans are deployed and the AuthorizationInterceptor is in the invocation chain
  3. Locate EJB deployment descriptors
    Inspect all ejb-jar.xml deployment descriptors in deployed applications, typically found in META-INF/ or WEB-INF/ of EJB jars or WAR files
    Affected if Any EJB has a deployment descriptor without <security-role> definitions or method-permissions elements
  4. Check for missing method-permissions in ejb-jar.xml
    Review each <method-permission> element in the ejb-jar.xml files; look for session beans and message-driven beans that lack explicit role definitions for their business methods
    Affected if Any <method> element in the ejb-jar.xml lacks a corresponding <method-permission> with defined roles, meaning the AuthorizationInterceptor would permit all requests
  5. Inspect JBoss-specific EJB security configuration
    Check jboss.xml or jboss-ejb3.xml descriptors in the EJB deployment for missing <security-domain> or <method-permission> mappings
    Affected if The EJB lacks a configured security domain or has empty method-permission entries that would cause the AuthorizationInterceptor to bypass access control

You are affected if running a vulnerable JBoss EAP version (4.2.x through 6.0.0) with EJB3 deployments that lack explicit security role definitions in their deployment descriptors.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 6.0.0
Interim mitigation

Define explicit security roles for all EJB methods and apply the relevant JBoss EAP security update/patch. Alternatively, audit existing deployments to ensure no unprotected EJB methods are exposed.

Fix this in Jboss Enterprise Application Platform Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-4549 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data