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GeodeApplication · Apache

CVE-2022-37021

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2022-08-31
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 1.13.4 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 Geode versions up to 1.12.5, 1.13.4 and 1.14.0 are vulnerable to a deserialization of untrusted data flaw when using JMX over RMI on Java 8. Any user still on Java 8 who wishes to protect against deserialization attacks involving JMX or RMI should upgrade to Apache Geode 1.15 and Java 11. If upgrading to Java 11 is not possible, then upgrade to Apache Geode 1.15 and specify "--J=-Dgeode.enableGlobalSerialFilter=true" when starting any Locators or Servers. Follow the documentation for details on specifying any user classes that may be serialized/deserialized with the "serializable-object-filter" configuration option. Using a global serial filter will impact performance.

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 Geode versions up to 1.12.5, 1.13.4, and 1.14.0 contain a deserialization of untrusted data vulnerability in JMX over RMI when running on Java 8, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted serialized objects.

MitigationUpgrade to Apache Geode 1.15 with Java 11, or alternatively upgrade to 1.15 and enable the global serial filter with --J=-Dgeode.enableGlobalSerialFilter=true while configuring the serializable-object-filter for user classes.

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
GeodeApplication
Affected:<= 1.12.5>= 1.13.0, <= 1.13.4= 1.14.0

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 Apache Geode version
    Check the installed Geode version by running 'gfsh version' or inspecting the geode-core JAR manifest, or check the product documentation for the deployed version
    Affected if The version is 1.14.0, or between 1.13.0 and 1.13.4 inclusive, or 1.12.5 or lower
  2. Verify Java runtime version
    Run 'java -version' or check the JAVA_HOME environment variable to determine which Java version is executing Geode
    Affected if The Java runtime is version 8 (1.8.x) - this is required for the vulnerability to be exploitable
  3. Confirm JMX over RMI is enabled
    Inspect Geode configuration files (like gemfire.properties or geode.properties) for JMX manager settings, or check if the gfsh 'start jmx-manager' command was used with RMI configuration
    Affected if JMX over RMI is configured and accessible on the network, as this is the vulnerable component
  4. Check network exposure of JMX service
    Review startup scripts or deployment configuration to determine if JMX/RMI ports are bound to non-localhost interfaces or are externally accessible
    Affected if The JMX/RMI service is exposed on accessible network interfaces rather than localhost only

You are affected if you are running Apache Geode version 1.14.0, 1.13.0-1.13.4, or any version up to 1.12.5, on Java 8, with JMX over RMI enabled and accessible.

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 1.13.4
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Apache Geode 1.15 with Java 11, or alternatively upgrade to 1.15 and enable the global serial filter with --J=-Dgeode.enableGlobalSerialFilter=true while configuring the serializable-object-filter for user classes.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apache Geode 1.15.0

  1. Upgrade to Apache Geode 1.15.0 (the fixed release)
  2. Upgrade to Java 11 as recommended by the official advisory
  3. If upgrading to Java 11 is not possible, add the JVM argument '--J=-Dgeode.enableGlobalSerialFilter=true' when starting any Locator or Server processes
  4. Consult the Apache Geode documentation to configure the 'serializable-object-filter' option for any user classes that need to be serialized/deserialized
  5. Restart all Geode processes after applying the configuration changes
Caveat Enabling the global serial filter may impact performance; review release notes for 1.15.0 for any breaking changes from prior versions

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

Fix this in Geode Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation16.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA6.0 h
42.0 hours of engineering $7,360
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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-2022-37021 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