dbcve.org
Media ServerOperating system · Red5

CVE-2017-5878

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 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 AMF unmarshallers in Red5 Media Server before 1.0.8 do not restrict the classes for which it performs deserialization, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted serialized Java data.

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

Red5 Media Server versions before 1.0.8 contain insecure deserialization in AMF (Action Message Format) unmarshallers. The unmarshaller does not restrict which classes can be deserialized, allowing attackers to send malicious serialized Java objects that trigger arbitrary code execution on the server.

MitigationUpgrade Red5 Media Server to version 1.0.8 or later. If immediate upgrade is not possible, implement class whitelist filtering on AMF deserialization or disable AMF endpoints if not required.

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
Media ServerOperating system
Affected:= 1.0.2= 1.0.3= 1.0.4= 1.0.5= 1.0.6= 1.0.7= 1.0.8

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 Red5 Media Server version
    Check the Red5 startup logs, the admin web interface (typically /webapps/root/includes/version.jsp), or look for a version.properties file in the Red5 installation directory
    Affected if The installed version is 1.0.2 through 1.0.7 (versions before 1.0.8)
  2. Confirm AMF endpoint is exposed
    Check if the Red5 server is listening on its configured port (default 5080) and verify that AMF endpoints are accessible. Inspect the server's web.xml or application configuration files for AMF servlet mappings
    Affected if AMF endpoints are accessible and the server accepts AMF connections on any port
  3. Check AMF unmarshaller configuration
    Inspect the Red5 configuration files (typically red5.properties or the application's context XML) for AMF deserialization settings. Look for the AMF deserializer or unmarshaller bean configuration
    Affected if The AMF unmarshaller is configured without class whitelist filtering or class restriction controls
  4. Review application web.xml for AMF servlet
    Examine the web.xml deployment descriptor for the AMF servlet or filter. This is usually found in the conf or webapps directory under the application's WEB-INF folder
    Affected if An AMF servlet is mapped and enabled without security constraints

A user is affected if they are running Red5 Media Server versions 1.0.2 through 1.0.7 with AMF endpoints exposed and no class whitelist filtering configured on the AMF deserializer.

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 Red5 Media Server to version 1.0.8 or later. If immediate upgrade is not possible, implement class whitelist filtering on AMF deserialization or disable AMF endpoints if not required.

Recommended fix High confidence

Red5 Media Server 1.0.8 or later

  1. 1. Stop the currently running Red5 Media Server instance
  2. 2. Create a complete backup of the current Red5 Media Server installation directory and configuration files
  3. 3. Download Red5 Media Server version 1.0.8 or later from the official repository (https://github.com/Red5/red5-server/releases)
  4. 4. Extract the new version to the target installation location
  5. 5. Restore any custom configuration files from the backup to the new installation
  6. 6. Start the upgraded Red5 Media Server instance
  7. 7. Verify the server is running correctly and AMF functionality is working as expected

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

Fix this in Media Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,580
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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-2017-5878 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