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TomeeApplication · Apache

CVE-2020-13931

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-12-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 8.0.3 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
If Apache TomEE 8.0.0-M1 - 8.0.3, 7.1.0 - 7.1.3, 7.0.0-M1 - 7.0.8, 1.0.0 - 1.7.5 is configured to use the embedded ActiveMQ broker, and the broker config is misconfigured, a JMX port is opened on TCP port 1099, which does not include authentication. CVE-2020-11969 previously addressed the creation of the JMX management interface, however the incomplete fix did not cover this edge case.

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

When Apache TomEE is configured with an embedded ActiveMQ broker and the broker configuration is misconfigured, JMX listens on TCP port 1099 without authentication. This allows unauthenticated remote attackers to exploit JMX for code execution. CVE-2020-11969 attempted to address JMX creation but had an incomplete fix that missed this edge case.

MitigationConfigure JMX authentication or disable the JMX port entirely in the ActiveMQ broker configuration. If JMX is required, enable authentication and restrict access to trusted networks.

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
TomeeApplication
Affected:>= 1.0.0, <= 1.7.5>= 7.0.0, <= 7.0.8>= 7.1.0, <= 7.1.3>= 8.0.0, <= 8.0.3= 7.0.0= 8.0.0

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:3.1/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 installed Apache TomEE version
    Check the TomEE version from startup logs, the system property 'tomee.version', or the 'tomee-webapp-*' JAR file name in the lib directory
    Affected if The installed version falls outside these ranges: 1.7.5+, 7.0.9+, 7.1.4+, or 8.0.4+ (meaning versions 1.0.0-1.7.5, 7.0.0-7.0.8, 7.1.0-7.1.3, or 8.0.0-8.0.3 are affected)
  2. Confirm embedded ActiveMQ broker is configured
    Locate the ActiveMQ broker configuration file (commonly conf/activemq.xml, or broker definition in conf/tomee.xml or conf/system.properties), or check for embedded ActiveMQ JARs in the lib directory
    Affected if An embedded ActiveMQ broker is configured and the TomEE version is in the affected range
  3. Verify JMX is listening on port 1099
    Run 'netstat -an | grep 1099' or 'ss -tlnp | grep 1099' on the TomEE host to check if TCP port 1099 is in LISTEN state, or inspect the ActiveMQ broker configuration for JMX connector definitions
    Affected if Port 1099 is open and listening for JMX connections
  4. Check if JMX authentication is disabled
    Inspect the ActiveMQ broker XML configuration for the JMX connector element; look for 'connector' or 'connectorHost' definitions that lack 'authenticate="true"' or user/password elements, or check if the JMX connector URL contains 'authenticate=false'
    Affected if JMX is enabled on port 1099 and authentication is explicitly disabled or not configured

You are affected if your Apache TomEE version is in the range 1.0.0-1.7.5, 7.0.0-7.0.8, 7.1.0-7.1.3, or 8.0.0-8.0.3, you have an embedded ActiveMQ broker configured, and JMX is listening on TCP port 1099 without authentication.

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 a release after 8.0.3
Interim mitigation

Configure JMX authentication or disable the JMX port entirely in the ActiveMQ broker configuration. If JMX is required, enable authentication and restrict access to trusted networks.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Apache TomEE 8.0.4 (or later 8.x), 7.1.4 (or later 7.1.x), 7.0.9 (or later 7.0.x), or 1.7.6 (or later 1.x)

  1. 1. Identify your current Apache TomEE version by checking the system properties or the version in the tomee.jar filename
  2. 2. Download the appropriate fixed version for your branch: For 8.x branch, upgrade to 8.0.4 or later; For 7.1.x branch, upgrade to 7.1.4 or later; For 7.0.x branch, upgrade to 7.0.9 or later; For 1.x branch, upgrade to 1.7.6 or later
  3. 3. Backup your current TomEE installation and configuration files (especially conf/system.properties and any ActiveMQ broker configuration)
  4. 4. Stop the TomEE instance
  5. 5. Replace the TomEE installation with the new version
  6. 6. Restore your configuration from the backup
  7. 7. Verify that the embedded ActiveMQ broker configuration includes proper JMX authentication settings in the broker configuration XML
  8. 8. Restart the TomEE instance and confirm the JMX port (1099) is either disabled or requires authentication
Caveat Minor: Ensure backward compatibility of any custom ActiveMQ broker configurations with the newer TomEE version; review release notes for any behavioral changes

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

Fix this in Tomee Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
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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-2020-13931 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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