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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 17 Nov 2021. Known ransomware use
Access ManagementApplication · Forgerock

CVE-2021-35464

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-07-22
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.5.4 / 14.6.3 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild Ransomware High EPSS Public exploit 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
ForgeRock AM server before 7.0 has a Java deserialization vulnerability in the jato.pageSession parameter on multiple pages. The exploitation does not require authentication, and remote code execution can be triggered by sending a single crafted /ccversion/* request to the server. The vulnerability exists due to the usage of Sun ONE Application Framework (JATO) found in versions of Java 8 or earlier

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

ForgeRock Access Management servers before version 7.0 contain a critical unauthenticated Java deserialization vulnerability in the jato.pageSession parameter across multiple web pages. The flaw stems from the legacy Sun ONE Application Framework (JATO) used in Java 8 or earlier versions, which enables unsafe deserialization. Attackers can achieve remote code execution by sending a single crafted request to the /ccversion/* endpoint without any authentication.

MitigationUpgrade ForgeRock AM to version 7.0 or later to eliminate the vulnerable JATO framework; if immediate patching is not feasible, implement network-level access controls to restrict the /ccversion/* endpoints.

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
Access ManagementApplication
Affected:< 6.5.4
OpenamApplication
Affected:>= 9.0.0, < 14.6.3

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 Forgerock product and version
    Check the installed version of Forgerock Access Management (AM) or OpenAM. For AM, look in the admin console or check version files. For OpenAM, check the version via admin UI or version file in the installation directory.
    Affected if Version is Forgerock AM < 6.5.4 OR OpenAM >= 9.0.0 and < 14.6.3
  2. Check Java version in use
    Run 'java -version' on the system hosting Forgerock or check the JAVA_HOME environment variable. The vulnerability stems from the legacy JATO framework which is only present in Java 8 or earlier environments.
    Affected if Java 8 or earlier is in use (Java 9+ eliminates the vulnerable JATO framework)
  3. Verify /ccversion endpoint accessibility
    Attempt to access the /ccversion/* endpoint on the Forgerock server (e.g., https://your-server/ccversion/??). This endpoint is where the jato.pageSession parameter is processed.
    Affected if The /ccversion/* endpoint responds and accepts requests without authentication
  4. Inspect for jato.pageSession parameter handling
    Check HTTP traffic or web application logs for usage of the jato.pageSession parameter. This parameter is the vector for the deserialization attack via the vulnerable JATO framework.
    Affected if The jato.pageSession parameter is accepted and processed by the /ccversion/* endpoint

A user is affected if they run Forgerock AM < 6.5.4 or OpenAM 9.0.0-14.6.3 on Java 8 or earlier AND have the /ccversion/* endpoint accessible, which allows unauthenticated deserialization attacks via the jato.pageSession parameter.

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 6.5.4 / 14.6.3 or later
Fixed in 6.5.414.6.3
Interim mitigation

Upgrade ForgeRock AM to version 7.0 or later to eliminate the vulnerable JATO framework; if immediate patching is not feasible, implement network-level access controls to restrict the /ccversion/* endpoints.

Recommended fix High confidence

Access Management 6.5.4 or OpenAM 14.6.3

  1. 1. Back up your current ForgeRock AM/OpenAM installation and configuration database
  2. 2. Download the fixed version: Access Management 6.5.4 or OpenAM 14.6.3 from the official ForgeRock repository
  3. 3. Review ForgeRock's upgrade documentation for your specific version path
  4. 4. Perform the upgrade following standard ForgeRock upgrade procedures
  5. 5. Verify the jato.pageSession parameter is no longer vulnerable by testing the /ccversion/* endpoint
  6. 6. Confirm the server starts successfully and authentication functions properly
Caveat Review ForgeRock release notes for version-specific breaking changes between your current version and the target fixed version

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

Fix this in Access Management Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
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  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
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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-2021-35464 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