How severe is CVE-2020-11998?

CVE-2020-11998 has a CVSS score of 9.8/10, rated CRITICAL. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2020-11998?

CVE-2020-11998 affects the following packages: org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2020-11998?

Update org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent to 5.15.13 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-11998 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2020-11998 in my Maven dependencies?

Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent. 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.

How do I mitigate CVE-2020-11998 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

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 does O3 Security protect against CVE-2020-11998?

O3 pinpoints whether CVE-2020-11998 is reachable in your code and exactly where to fix it, then blocks exploitation in production at runtime until the patched version is deployed.

Is CVE-2020-11998 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2020-11998 yet. This does not mean the vulnerability cannot be exploited — absence of public exploits does not imply safety. Apply the recommended fix and use O3 Security to monitor your exposure.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2020-11998?

CVE-2020-11998 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 51.2%, placing it in the 99th 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. A score above 50% indicates significantly elevated exploitation risk — immediate patching is strongly recommended.

When was CVE-2020-11998 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2020-11998 was published on September 10, 2020 and was last updated on March 15, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

CVE-2020-11998: Remote code execution in Apache ActiveMQ (Criti…

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

51.2%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

High Risk99th percentile+44.31%

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.

Blast Radius

1 pkg affected

☕org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent

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

A regression has been introduced in the commit preventing JMX re-bind. By passing an empty environment map to RMIConnectorServer, instead of the map that contains the authentication credentials, it leaves ActiveMQ open to the following attack: https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/technotes/guides/management/agent.html "A remote client could create a javax.management.loading.MLet MBean and use it to create new MBeans from arbitrary URLs, at least if there is no security manager. In other words, a rogue remote client could make your Java application execute arbitrary code." Mitigation: Upgrade to Apache ActiveMQ 5.15.13

Affected Packages

1 total 1 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent`	≥ 5.15.12&&< 5.15.13	5.15.13

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency

Detect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent. 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.activemq:activemq-parent to 5.15.13 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-11998 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-2020-11998 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-2020-11998. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.

Frequently Asked Questions

A regression has been introduced in the commit preventing JMX re-bind. By passing an empty environment map to RMIConnectorServer, instead of the map that contains the authentication credentials, it leaves ActiveMQ open to the following attack: https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/technotes/guides/management/agent.html "A remote client could create a javax.management.loading.MLet MBean and use it to create new MBeans from arbitrary URLs, at least if there is no security manager. In other words, a rogue remote client could make your Java application execute arbitrary code." Mitigation: Upgrade

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2020-11998 in your dependencies?

O3 detects CVE-2020-11998 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works

CVE-2020-11998