FedoraOperating system · Fedoraproject
CVE-2015-6524
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 · uneditedThe LDAPLoginModule implementation in the Java Authentication and Authorization Service (JAAS) in Apache ActiveMQ 5.x before 5.10.1 allows wildcard operators in usernames, which allows remote attackers to obtain credentials via a brute force attack. NOTE: this identifier was SPLIT from CVE-2014-3612 per ADT2 due to different vulnerability types.
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 confidenceThe LDAPLoginModule in JAAS for Apache ActiveMQ 5.x before 5.10.1 improperly accepts wildcard operators in usernames during LDAP authentication. This allows remote attackers to bypass the intended authentication mechanism by using wildcards (e.g., * or ?) to match multiple user accounts with a single login attempt, enabling credential brute force attacks.
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
FedoraOperating system
= 22= 23
ActivemqApplication
= 5.0.0= 5.1.0= 5.2.0= 5.3.0= 5.3.1= 5.3.2= 5.4.0= 5.4.1= 5.4.2= 5.4.3= 5.5.0= 5.5.1CVSS 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
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Determine ActiveMQ versionCheck the ActiveMQ version from the installation directory or startup logs. Typical location: look for version info in the ActiveMQ JAR files (activemq-core*.jar) or check the startup output.Affected if Version is 5.0.0 through 5.5.1 (any version before 5.10.1)
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Locate JAAS configuration fileFind the JAAS configuration file used by ActiveMQ. Default location is typically ${ACTIVEMQ_HOME}/conf/login.conf. Check ActiveMQ startup scripts or XML configuration for the JAAS configuration path.Affected if A JAAS login configuration file exists and is in use by ActiveMQ
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Verify LDAPLoginModule is configuredInspect the JAAS configuration file and look for entries containing 'LDAPLoginModule' in the module chain. This indicates LDAP-based authentication is enabled.Affected if LDAPLoginModule is present in the JAAS configuration
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Inspect LDAP authentication parametersReview the LDAPLoginModule configuration parameters in the JAAS file, specifically looking for how usernames are processed. Check if there is any input validation or filtering of wildcard characters (* or ?) in the username parameter.Affected if LDAPLoginModule is configured without wildcard character filtering in usernames, allowing special characters to pass through to the LDAP query
If running ActiveMQ version 5.0.0 through 5.5.1 with LDAPLoginModule enabled in JAAS configuration, the environment is vulnerable to wildcard-based authentication bypass.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataUpgrade Apache ActiveMQ to version 5.10.1 or later, or implement input validation in the LDAPLoginModule configuration to reject wildcard characters in usernames before authentication.
Fix this in Fedora
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,832.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-6524 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2015-6524 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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