CVE-2016-8744 — brooklyn
HIGHCVE-2016-8744 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.8) Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in org.apache.brooklyn:brooklyn. 2 public exploit or proof-of-concept references are indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.apache.brooklyn:brooklyn — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Apache Brooklyn
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.brooklyn:brooklynReal-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 Brooklyn uses the SnakeYAML library for parsing YAML inputs. SnakeYAML allows the use of YAML tags to indicate that SnakeYAML should unmarshal data to a Java type. In the default configuration in Brooklyn before 0.10.0, SnakeYAML will allow unmarshalling to any Java type available on the classpath. This could provide an authenticated user with a means to cause the JVM running Brooklyn to load and run Java code without detection by Brooklyn. Such code would have the privileges of the Java process running Brooklyn, including the ability to open files and network connections, and execute system commands. There is known to be a proof-of-concept exploit using this vulnerability.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.brooklyn:brooklyn | all versions | 0.10.0org.apache.brooklyn:brooklyn:0.10.0 |
Affected Products
brooklynapacheResearch 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.brooklyn:brooklyn, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.apache.brooklyn:brooklyn to 0.10.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2016-8744 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2016-8744 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.