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 reference exists, so weaponization risk is real. No vendor fix is recorded yet; mitigation options are listed below.
Apache XML-RPC vulnerable to Deserialization of Untrusted Data
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-2016-5003 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.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 |
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.xmlrpc:xmlrpc, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Remediation status
No patched version of org.apache.xmlrpc:xmlrpc has shipped for CVE-2016-5003 yet. Where your build allows, override or pin the dependency away from the vulnerable range, and apply any maintainer-recommended mitigation.
Mitigate without a patch
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-2016-5003 can be triaged on real exposure rather than presence alone.
Tailored to CVE-2016-5003. 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.
| 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?
O3 Security finds CVE-2016-5003 across Maven dependencies, including transitive ones, and its impact-aware SCA ranks findings by whether your code actually calls the vulnerable path.