dbcve.org
OpenshiftApplication · Redhat

CVE-2015-5254

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-01-08
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
Apache ActiveMQ 5.x before 5.13.0 does not restrict the classes that can be serialized in the broker, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted serialized Java Message Service (JMS) ObjectMessage object.

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

Apache ActiveMQ 5.x before 5.13.0 lacks class serialization restrictions in its broker, enabling attackers to send maliciously crafted serialized Java objects via JMS ObjectMessage that can trigger arbitrary code execution through unsafe deserialization of untrusted classes.

MitigationUpgrade to Apache ActiveMQ 5.13.0 or later which implements class whitelisting; if immediate upgrade is not feasible, consider network segmentation and disabling ObjectMessage until the patch can be applied.

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
OpenshiftApplication
Affected:= 2.0
ActivemqApplication
Affected:= 5.0.0= 5.1.0= 5.2.0= 5.3.0= 5.3.1= 5.3.2= 5.4.0= 5.4.1= 5.4.3= 5.5.0= 5.5.1= 5.6.0
FedoraOperating system
Affected:= 22= 23

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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 ActiveMQ installation and version
    Run 'activemq --version' if in PATH, or check the manifest file in the installation directory (e.g., $ACTIVEMQ_HOME/lib/activemq.jar) for version metadata. If running as a service, check the package version via 'rpm -q activemq' or 'dpkg -l activemq'.
    Affected if Installed version is 5.0.0 through 5.12.x (any version before 5.13.0)
  2. Confirm JMS ObjectMessage is in use
    Review application code and message producers for javax.jms.ObjectMessage usage. Check ActiveMQ connection pool or broker logs for 'ObjectMessage' references. Inspect messaging configuration XML files for ObjectMessage-based message types.
    Affected if The broker accepts or processes JMS ObjectMessage objects
  3. Inspect broker deserialization configuration
    Examine the activemq.xml configuration file (typically in $ACTIVEMQ_HOME/conf/) for serialization-related settings. Look for 'trustedClasses', 'objectMessageSerializationDefered', or similar serialization control elements.
    Affected if No class whitelisting (trustedClasses) is configured and ObjectMessage is allowed
  4. Verify Java deserialization settings
    Check the startup scripts (activemq or activemq.bat) and the lib/optional directory for additional deserialization filters. Review any -Djava.rmi.server.RMIClassLoaderDisableCodebaseURLs or similar JVM arguments.
    Affected if No deserialization filters are applied at the JVM level
  5. Check network exposure
    Review firewall rules and ActiveMQ transport connector configurations (in conf/activemq.xml) to determine if the OpenWire/JMS port (default 61616) is exposed to untrusted networks.
    Affected if The JMS port is accessible from untrusted networks and the broker is vulnerable

The environment is affected if running Apache ActiveMQ version 5.0.0 through 5.12.x with JMS ObjectMessage enabled and accessible, as this allows unsafe deserialization of untrusted Java objects.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade to Apache ActiveMQ 5.13.0 or later which implements class whitelisting; if immediate upgrade is not feasible, consider network segmentation and disabling ObjectMessage until the patch can be applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apache ActiveMQ 5.13.0 or later (recommended: latest 5.x stable release)

  1. 1. Identify the currently running Apache ActiveMQ version by checking the installation directory or running 'activemq --version'
  2. 2. Backup the ActiveMQ data directory and configuration files before proceeding with any upgrade
  3. 3. Download Apache ActiveMQ 5.13.0 or later from the official Apache ActiveMQ distribution (activemq.apache.org)
  4. 4. Stop the currently running ActiveMQ service using 'activemq stop'
  5. 5. Install the new ActiveMQ version, preserving the configuration from the backup
  6. 6. Review and update configuration files if needed for compatibility with the new version
  7. 7. Start the new ActiveMQ service using 'activemq start'
  8. 8. Verify the upgrade was successful and the service is running properly
Caveat Review release notes for any configuration or feature changes between your current version and 5.13.0+; test in staging environment before production deployment

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Openshift Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,780
Get help mitigating

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,448.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-5254 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2015-5254 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data