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JuddiApplication · Apache

CVE-2021-37578

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2021-07-29
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.3.10 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
Apache jUDDI uses several classes related to Java's Remote Method Invocation (RMI) which (as an extension to UDDI) provides an alternate transport for accessing UDDI services. RMI uses the default Java serialization mechanism to pass parameters in RMI invocations. A remote attacker can send a malicious serialized object to the above RMI entries. The objects get deserialized without any check on the incoming data. In the worst case, it may let the attacker run arbitrary code remotely. For both jUDDI web service applications and jUDDI clients, the usage of RMI is disabled by default. Since this is an optional feature and an extension to the UDDI protocol, the likelihood of impact is low. Starting with 3.3.10, all RMI related code was removed.

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 jUDDI uses Java RMI which relies on Java serialization for parameter passing. The RMI endpoints deserialize incoming data without validation, allowing remote attackers to send malicious serialized objects that could execute arbitrary code. This is a classic Java deserialization vulnerability.

MitigationUpgrade to jUDDI version 3.3.10 or later which removes all RMI code, or ensure RMI remains disabled (the default) if upgrading is not feasible.

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
JuddiApplication
Affected:< 3.3.10

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 jUDDI version
    Locate the deployed jUDDI installation or WAR file and check the version manifest or release notes. Common locations include the application server deployment directory or the WAR file's META-INF/MANIFEST.MF
    Affected if The version is lower than 3.3.10
  2. Verify RMI status in jUDDI configuration
    Inspect the jUDDI configuration files for RMI-related settings. Look for properties that enable or configure RMI services, typically found in the main configuration file or deployment descriptors
    Affected if RMI is explicitly enabled or configured in the configuration files
  3. Check for exposed RMI ports
    Review network listeners and port configurations on the server where jUDDI is deployed. Identify any ports bound to RMI registry or RMI activator services
    Affected if RMI ports are open and listening, indicating RMI functionality is active
  4. Inspect classpath for RMI-related classes
    Examine the jUDDI libraries and dependencies for the presence of RMI implementation classes. Check the WEB-INF/lib or lib directories within the jUDDI deployment for RMI-specific JARs
    Affected if RMI classes are present in the deployment and available for use

You are affected if running jUDDI version below 3.3.10 AND RMI is enabled or active in your deployment

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 3.3.10 or later
Fixed in 3.3.10
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to jUDDI version 3.3.10 or later which removes all RMI code, or ensure RMI remains disabled (the default) if upgrading is not feasible.

Recommended fix High confidence

3.3.10

  1. 1. Identify the current jUDDI version in use by checking the deployed WAR file or application metadata
  2. 2. Download Apache jUDDI version 3.3.10 or later from the official Apache distribution repository (https://juddi.apache.org/download/)
  3. 3. Review the official Apache jUDDI upgrade guide for migration considerations
  4. 4. Back up the existing jUDDI database and configuration files
  5. 5. Replace the existing jUDDI WAR file with the new version 3.3.10+ WAR file
  6. 6. Ensure no custom RMI code or configurations exist, since RMI functionality was removed in 3.3.10
  7. 7. Restart the application server and verify jUDDI starts successfully
  8. 8. Run functional tests to confirm all UDDI operations work correctly
Caveat RMI functionality has been completely removed in 3.3.10; any code or configurations relying on RMI will no longer work (RMI was disabled by default in prior versions)

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

Fix this in Juddi 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-2021-37578 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