CVE-2016-5003 — xmlrpc
CRITICALCVE-2016-5003 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in org.apache.xmlrpc:xmlrpc. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. The records list no fixed version yet; check the vendor advisory below and apply the mitigations in the meantime.
Apache XML-RPC vulnerable to Deserialization of Untrusted Data
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
Where this sits among everything scored
Real-World Exposure
org.apache.xmlrpc:xmlrpcReal-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
The Apache XML-RPC (aka ws-xmlrpc) library 3.1.3, as used in Apache Archiva, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted serialized Java object in an ex:serializable element.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.xmlrpc:xmlrpc | all versions | No fix |
Affected Products
ws-xmlrpcapacheResearch 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.xmlrpc:xmlrpc, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Remediation status
The records we use list no patched version of org.apache.xmlrpc:xmlrpc for CVE-2016-5003. Check the maintainer's advisory, and where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range.
Mitigate without a patch
Do not deserialise data from untrusted sources: where the format allows it, restrict deserialisation to an explicit allowlist of expected types, and prefer a data-only format (JSON, Protobuf) over one that can reconstruct arbitrary objects until you can upgrade.
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.
Setting enabledForExtensions is false by default, thus <ex:serializable> elements are not automatically deserialized. However, if you have it enabled and you don't need any of the provided functions (https://ws.apache.org/xmlrpc/extensions.html) we suggest you disable it.Source: Red Hat security advisory for CVE-2016-5003 (CC BY 4.0)
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | xmlrpc3-0:3.0-4.17.el6_9 | RHSA-2018:1779 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | xmlrpc-1:3.1.3-9.el7_5 | RHSA-2018:1780 |
| Red Hat Fuse 7.2 | camel | RHSA-2018:3768 |
| Red Hat Software Collections for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | rh-java-common-xmlrpc-1:3.1.3-8.16.el6 | RHSA-2018:1784 |
| Red Hat Virtualization 4 for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | xmlrpc-1:3.1.3-9.el7_5 | RHSA-2018:2317 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2016-5003 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.