CVE-2020-13920 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.9) Missing Authentication vulnerability in org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent. A fix is available for org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent — see the affected versions and patch details below.
Improper Authentication in Apache ActiveMQ
EPSS Exploitation Probability
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.
How urgent is this, really
CVE-2020-13920 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% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.
Real-World Exposure
org.apache.activemq:activemq-parentReal-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 ActiveMQ uses LocateRegistry.createRegistry() to create the JMX RMI registry and binds the server to the "jmxrmi" entry. It is possible to connect to the registry without authentication and call the rebind method to rebind jmxrmi to something else. If an attacker creates another server to proxy the original, and bound that, he effectively becomes a man in the middle and is able to intercept the credentials when an user connects. Upgrade to Apache ActiveMQ 5.15.12.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent | all versions | 5.15.12org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent:5.15.12 |
Affected Products
activemqapachedebian linuxdebiancommunications diameter signaling routeroracleflexcube private bankingoracleDetection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent to 5.15.12 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-13920 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.
Workarounds
Put an independent control in front of the weakness: restrict the affected endpoint or interface to trusted networks, require an additional authentication factor or proxy-level check, and invalidate existing sessions and credentials in case the flaw has already been used.
Fixing This On Your OS
If you run this on a Linux distribution, patch through your package manager against the distro's own security advisory below — it tracks the exact backported fix for your release, which can ship on a different timeline (and sometimes a different severity) than the upstream project.
| Product | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Fuse 7.9 | activemq | RHSA-2021:3140 |
| Red Hat Integration | activemq | RHSA-2021:3205 |
| Red Hat Integration Camel Quarkus 2 | see advisory | RHSA-2021:3207 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2020-13920 in your dependencies?
Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.