CVE-2017-15708 — synapse-core
CRITICALCVE-2017-15708 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) CWE-74 vulnerability in org.apache.synapse:synapse-core. EPSS puts its 30-day exploitation probability at 17.9% (97th percentile). A fix is available for org.apache.synapse:synapse-core — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Remote Code Execution in Apache Synapse
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2017-15708 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.
Where this sits among everything scored
Of 385,386 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the 10–50% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
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 | 3.0.1org.apache.synapse:synapse-core:3.0.1 |
Affected Products
synapseapachefinancial services market risk measurement and managementoraclepeoplesoft enterprise peopletoolsoracleDetection & 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, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2017-15708 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.