dbcve.org
ActivemqApplication · Apache

CVE-2020-13920

MEDIUM · 5.9 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-09-10
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.15.12 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 uses LocateRegistry.createRegistry() to create the JMX RMI registry and binds the server to the "jmxrmi" entry. It is possible to connect to the registry without authentication and call the rebind method to rebind jmxrmi to something else. If an attacker creates another server to proxy the original, and bound that, he effectively becomes a man in the middle and is able to intercept the credentials when an user connects. Upgrade to Apache ActiveMQ 5.15.12.

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 creates its JMX RMI registry without authentication using LocateRegistry.createRegistry() and binds to the 'jmxrmi' entry. An unauthenticated attacker can rebind this entry to a malicious server, enabling a man-in-the-middle attack to intercept JMX credentials.

MitigationUpgrade Apache ActiveMQ to version 5.15.12 or later, which implements proper authentication for the JMX RMI registry.

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
ActivemqApplication
Affected:< 5.15.12
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 9.0
Communications Diameter Signaling RouterApplication
Affected:>= 8.0.0, <= 8.2.2
Flexcube Private BankingApplication
Affected:= 12.0.0= 12.1.0

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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm Apache ActiveMQ installation and locate version
    Find the ActiveMQ installation directory. Check for a VERSION.txt file, or run: ./bin/activemq --version. On Debian, check /usr/share/activemq/. Retrieve the exact version number installed.
    Affected if The installed version is any version lower than 5.15.12 (e.g., 5.15.0 through 5.15.11).
  2. Verify JMX is enabled in ActiveMQ configuration
    Inspect the ActiveMQ configuration file (typically conf/activemq.xml or /etc/activemq/activemq.xml). Look for JMX-related XML elements such as <managementContext> or search for 'jmx' in the configuration file.
    Affected if JMX management context is enabled and configured, meaning the vulnerability is present in the runtime configuration.
  3. Check for exposed JMX RMI registry configuration
    Examine Java startup options in the ActiveMQ startup script (bin/activemq or bin/activemq.sh) or in any wrapper configuration. Look for Java system properties like -Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote, -Dactivemq.jmx.port, or similar JMX-related flags that enable the RMI registry.
    Affected if JMX RMI is explicitly enabled via Java options, typically on port 1099 (default jmxrmi) or a configured RMI port.
  4. Verify JMX authentication is not enforced
    Review the <managementContext> section in activemq.xml. Check for the 'createConnector' attribute and whether authentication credentials are configured. Also check if the property org.apache.activemq.broker.jmx.authenticate is set to true in the configuration or as a Java system property.
    Affected if No JMX authentication is configured, or the JMX connector is set to allow unauthenticated access (the default vulnerable state).

A user is affected if they are running Apache ActiveMQ version 5.15.11 or earlier with JMX RMI enabled and without authentication configured.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.15.12 or later
Fixed in 5.15.12
Interim mitigation

Upgrade Apache ActiveMQ to version 5.15.12 or later, which implements proper authentication for the JMX RMI registry.

Fix this in Activemq Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2020-13920 — 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-2020-13920 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