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Flex BlazedsApplication · Apache

CVE-2017-5641

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2017-12-28
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 8.5.3-00 or later.
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
Previous versions of Apache Flex BlazeDS (4.7.2 and earlier) did not restrict which types were allowed for AMF(X) object deserialization by default. During the deserialization process code is executed that for several known types has undesired side-effects. Other, unknown types may also exhibit such behaviors. One vector in the Java standard library exists that allows an attacker to trigger possibly further exploitable Java deserialization of untrusted data. Other known vectors in third party libraries can be used to trigger remote code execution.

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 Flex BlazeDS versions 4.7.2 and earlier contain an insecure deserialization vulnerability in the AMF(X) object deserialization mechanism. The software does not restrict allowed types during deserialization, allowing attackers to leverage known Java deserialization vectors (including Java standard library and third-party library gadgets) to execute arbitrary code by sending crafted malicious AMF messages.

MitigationUpgrade to BlazeDS version 4.7.3 or later which implements type restrictions for AMF deserialization. If upgrading is not feasible, implement network-level filtering of AMF traffic and ensure BlazeDS endpoints are not exposed to untrusted clients.

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
Flex BlazedsApplication
Affected:<= 4.7.2
Xp Command View Advanced EditionApplication
Affected:< 8.5.3-00

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:3.1/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 BlazeDS installation and version
    Locate BlazeDS JAR files (blazeds-*.jar, flex-messaging-*.jar) in your application libraries or application server lib directories, then check the JAR manifest or filename for the version number. Also check any pom.xml or dependency management files that specify the BlazeDS version.
    Affected if The installed version is 4.7.2 or earlier, or the version cannot be determined but BlazeDS is present.
  2. Locate BlazeDS configuration files
    Search for BlazeDS configuration files in your application deployment: services-config.xml, remoting-config.xml, and messaging-config.xml, typically found in the WEB-INF/flex directory or a shared configuration location.
    Affected if BlazeDS configuration files exist and the AMF deserialization endpoints are defined.
  3. Verify AMF endpoints are enabled
    Examine the configuration files found in the previous step. Look for <destination> elements with <channel> references, and check web.xml for AMF servlet mappings (typically org.springframework.flex.MessageBrokerServlet or flex.messaging.http.MessageBrokerServlet).
    Affected if AMF or AMFX endpoints are configured and mapped, indicating the vulnerable deserialization mechanism is active.
  4. Check network exposure of AMF services
    Review your application's network accessibility. Determine if BlazeDS endpoints (typically at /messagebroker/* or /amf/* paths) are exposed to untrusted or public network segments.
    Affected if AMF endpoints are accessible from untrusted network locations without additional filtering.

You are affected if BlazeDS version 4.7.2 or earlier is installed AND AMF deserialization endpoints are enabled and accessible, as this combination allows the insecure deserialization to be exploited.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 8.5.3-00 or later
Fixed in 8.5.3-00
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to BlazeDS version 4.7.3 or later which implements type restrictions for AMF deserialization. If upgrading is not feasible, implement network-level filtering of AMF traffic and ensure BlazeDS endpoints are not exposed to untrusted clients.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apache Flex BlazeDS 4.7.3 or later; Xp Command View Advanced Edition 8.5.3-00 or later

  1. Upgrade Apache Flex BlazeDS from version 4.7.2 or earlier to version 4.7.3 or later
  2. If using Xp Command View Advanced Edition, upgrade to version 8.5.3-00 or later
  3. After upgrading, verify the AMF deserialization is working correctly and test any custom serialization functionality
Caveat Version 4.7.3 introduced type restrictions for AMF deserialization - custom type handling may need configuration updates if custom object types are used

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

Fix this in Flex Blazeds Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2017-5641 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data