CVE-2015-5254 — activemq-client
CRITICALCVE-2015-5254 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) Improper Input Validation vulnerability in org.apache.activemq:activemq-client. 6 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.apache.activemq:activemq-client — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Improper Input Validation in Apache ActiveMQ
EPSS Exploitation Probability
EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2015-5254 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE doesn't sit, though severity or exploitability alone can still warrant action.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 377,333 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the 10–50% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.
Real-World Exposure
org.apache.activemq:activemq-client☕org.apache.activemq:activemq-clientReal-time download stats are indexed for npm and PyPI packages. This vulnerability affects Maven packages — download data is not available via public APIs for these ecosystems.
Description
Apache ActiveMQ 5.x before 5.13.0 does not restrict the classes that can be serialized in the broker, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted serialized Java Message Service (JMS) ObjectMessage object.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.activemq:activemq-client | ≥ 5.0.0&&< 5.11.3 | 5.11.3org.apache.activemq:activemq-client:5.11.3 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.activemq:activemq-client | ≥ 5.12.0&&< 5.12.2 | 5.12.2org.apache.activemq:activemq-client:5.12.2 |
Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.activemq:activemq-client, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.apache.activemq:activemq-client to 5.11.3 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2015-5254 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
If you can't upgrade right away: gate or disable the affected feature, validate untrusted input at the boundary, and avoid passing attacker-controlled data into the vulnerable path. O3's runtime protection blocks exploitation in production as an interim safeguard until the upgrade lands.
How O3 protects you
O3 Security's impact-aware SCA analyses which vulnerable code paths your application actually calls, so a match like CVE-2015-5254 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2015-5254. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
A malicious message producer needs to authenticate to EAP in order to send messages. Also, the use of JMS ObjectMessage needs to be chosen by the developer of the application. Therefore this issue is rated as moderate.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat JBoss A-MQ 6.3 | see advisory | RHSA-2016:2036 |
| Red Hat JBoss Fuse 6.3 | see advisory | RHSA-2016:2035 |
| Red Hat OpenShift Enterprise 2.2 | activemq-0:5.9.0-6.redhat.611454.el6op | RHSA-2016:0489 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2015-5254 in your dependencies?
O3 Security finds CVE-2015-5254 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.