How severe is CVE-2019-13116?

CVE-2019-13116 has a CVSS score of 9.8/10, rated CRITICAL. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2019-13116?

CVE-2019-13116 affects the following packages: org.mule.runtime:mule (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2019-13116?

Update org.mule.runtime:mule to 3.8.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2019-13116 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2019-13116 in my Maven dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.mule.runtime:mule, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2019-13116 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

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.

Is CVE-2019-13116 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 1 known exploit references for CVE-2019-13116, including 1 in-the-wild exploitation observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2019-13116?

CVE-2019-13116 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 5.1%, placing it in the 92th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2019-13116?

CVE-2019-13116 is classified as Deserialization of Untrusted Data (CWE-502). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation. This is a high-impact weakness class that often enables remote code execution or data exposure.

When was CVE-2019-13116 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2019-13116 was published on May 24, 2022 and was last updated on November 8, 2023. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

☕

☕ Maven

Not in CISA KEV

CRITICAL severity

CVE-2019-13116 — mule

CRITICAL

CVE-2019-13116 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability in org.mule.runtime:mule. 1 public exploit or proof-of-concept reference is indexed, so weaponization risk is real. A fix is available for org.mule.runtime:mule — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Mulesoft Mule Unsafe Deserialization

Published

May 24, 2022

Updated

Nov 8, 2023

Affected

1 pkg

Patched

1 / 1

Exploits

1 known

Exploitation data as of Nov 7, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

5.1%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs92th percentile — riskier than 92% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

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

1 pkg affected

☕org.mule.runtime:mule

Real-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 MuleSoft Mule Community Edition runtime engine before 3.8 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code because of Java Deserialization, related to Apache Commons Collections

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.mule.runtime:mule`	all versions	3.8.0`org.mule.runtime:mule:3.8.0`

Affected Products

1 product · 1 configurations

Application

mule runtimemulesoft

< 3.8.0

range

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

The MuleSoft Mule Community Edition runtime engine before 3.8 allows rem…

threat.tevora.comNVDOct 2019

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.mule.runtime:mule, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.mule.runtime:mule to 3.8.0 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2019-13116 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

The MuleSoft Mule runtime engine before 3.8.0 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code because of Java Deserialization, related to Apache Commons Collections.

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2019-13116 in your dependencies?

Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works

CVSS Score

9.8/10CVSS v3 base

Vector breakdown

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Raw vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE Classification

CWE-502Deserialization of Untrusted Data

Weaponization

No Nuclei template or Metasploit module yet. 1 public proof-of-concept reference is listed on this page.

OpenSSF Scorecard

Package health score

mule

6.9/10

Maintained10/10

Code-Review10/10

Vulnerabilities10/10

Branch-Protection8/10

Dependency-Update-Tool10/10

Assessed Nov 28, 2022

Timeline

First exploit

Oct 29, 2019

Disclosed

May 24, 2022

Last updated

Nov 8, 2023

Identifiers

CVE-2019-13116

References

Advisorynvd.nist.gov · CVE 2019 13116 Webdocs.mulesoft.com · mule 3.8.0 release notes Webthreat.tevora.com · mulesoft 3 8 unauthenticated rce Packagegithub.com · mule

Related vulnerabilities

Also affects mule

This CVE is critical severity — higher than any of the other 1 CVE affecting mule (highest there: high).

CVE-2019-15630

Same weakness: CWE-502

This CVE is critical severity; 1 of 7 other CVEs with CWE-502 is rated as high or higher (top: critical).

CVE-2026-114151CVE-2026-126187CVE-2026-115878CVE-2026-62848CVE-2026-115912CVE-2026-116580CVE-2026-114608Browse all CWE-502

Provenance

Sources

OSV.devNVDFIRST.org (EPSS)

Last verifiedNov 8, 2023

CVE-2019-13116 — mule

EPSS Exploitation Probability

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Real-World Exposure

Description

Affected Packages

Affected Products

Detection & mitigation playbook

Detect

Fix

Workarounds

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CVE-2019-13116 in your dependencies?