CVE-2017-15708
CRITICALCVE-2017-15708 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) CWE-74 vulnerability in org.apache.synapse:synapse-core. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2017-15708 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Remote Code Execution in Apache Synapse
Real-World Exposure
org.apache.synapse:synapse-coreReal-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
In Apache Synapse, by default no authentication is required for Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI). So Apache Synapse 3.0.1 or all previous releases (3.0.0, 2.1.0, 2.0.0, 1.2, 1.1.2, 1.1.1) allows remote code execution attacks that can be performed by injecting specially crafted serialized objects. And the presence of Apache Commons Collections 3.2.1 (commons-collections-3.2.1.jar) or previous versions in Synapse distribution makes this exploitable. To mitigate the issue, we need to limit RMI access to trusted users only. Further upgrading to 3.0.1 version will eliminate the risk of having said Commons Collection version. In Synapse 3.0.1, Commons Collection has been updated to 3.2.2 version.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.synapse:synapse-core | all versions | 3.0.1 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.synapse:synapse-core. O3's reachability analysis confirms whether the vulnerable code path is actually invoked in your application, so you act on real exposure instead of every transitive match.
Fix
Update org.apache.synapse:synapse-core to 3.0.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2017-15708 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 pinpoints whether CVE-2017-15708 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.
Tailored to CVE-2017-15708. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2017-15708 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2017-15708 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.