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Jboss Enterprise Application PlatformApplication · Redhat

CVE-2016-3690

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-06-08
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
The PooledInvokerServlet in JBoss EAP 4.x and 5.x allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted serialized payload.

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 PooledInvokerServlet in JBoss EAP 4.x and 5.x is vulnerable to Java deserialization attacks. Attackers can send crafted serialized Java objects that, when deserialized by the servlet, allow remote code execution on the target system.

MitigationUpgrade to a supported, patched version of JBoss EAP (6.x or later). If upgrading is not immediately feasible, disable or remove the PooledInvokerServlet and restrict network access to the affected service.

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:= 4.2.0= 4.3.0= 5.0.0= 5.1.0= 5.1.1= 5.1.2= 5.2.0

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 JBoss EAP installation and version
    Check for JBoss installation directories (often under /opt/jboss, /usr/share/jboss, or similar). Locate version info in README.txt, docs, or server/../bin/run.conf. On Windows, check installed programs or the jbossas/bin directory.
    Affected if The installed version matches 4.2.0, 4.3.0, 5.0.0, 5.1.0, 5.1.1, 5.1.2, or 5.2.0
  2. Locate the PooledInvokerServlet
    Search for 'PooledInvoker' in the deployment directory (typically server/all/deploy or server/default/deploy). Look for files named invoker.war, jboss-invoker.sar, or similar invoker deployments containing PooledInvoker classes.
    Affected if The PooledInvoker servlet is present in the deployment directory
  3. Verify PooledInvoker HTTP endpoint is accessible
    Check if the invoker servlet is exposed via web.xml mappings. Test access to common paths such as /invoker/PooledInvokerServlet, /invoker/, or custom configured paths. Use a web scanner or curl to probe these endpoints.
    Affected if The PooledInvoker endpoint is mapped and reachable over the network
  4. Check for deserialization filters or protections
    Inspect jbossweb.jar or server configuration for Java deserialization filter settings. Review java.io.ObjectInputStream usage and any custom security manager configurations.
    Affected if No deserialization filters are configured and the vulnerable servlet remains exposed

You are affected if you are running JBoss EAP 4.2.0 through 5.2.0 with the PooledInvokerServlet deployed and network-accessible, as this combination allows the deserialization attack to succeed.

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 a supported, patched version of JBoss EAP (6.x or later). If upgrading is not immediately feasible, disable or remove the PooledInvokerServlet and restrict network access to the affected service.

Recommended fix High confidence

JBoss EAP 7.x or 8.x (supported release)

  1. 1. Identify all JBoss EAP 4.x and 5.x instances in the environment that have PooledInvokerServlet enabled
  2. 2. Plan migration from JBoss EAP 4.x/5.x to a supported version (JBoss EAP 7.x or 8.x)
  3. 3. Before upgrading, disable the PooledInvokerServlet as an interim mitigation by removing or commenting out the corresponding servlet configuration in the web.xml or jboss-web.xml
  4. 4. Alternatively, block access to the PooledInvokerServlet endpoint (typically /invoker/PooledInvokerServlet) at the network level or via a web application firewall
  5. 5. Perform upgrade to JBoss EAP 7.x or later which addresses this vulnerability
  6. 6. After upgrade, verify that the PooledInvoker component is either removed or properly secured
Caveat Major version upgrade from EAP 4.x/5.x to 7.x/8.x may require application code changes due to API differences and configuration changes

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

Fix this in Jboss Enterprise Application Platform Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
32.0 hours of engineering $5,600
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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-2016-3690 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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