CVE-2020-13946
MEDIUMCVE-2020-13946 is a medium-severity (CVSS 5.9) CWE-668 vulnerability in org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2020-13946 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Man-in-the-middle attack in Apache Cassandra
Real-World Exposure
org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all☕org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all☕org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all☕org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all☕org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-allReal-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 Cassandra, all versions prior to 2.1.22, 2.2.18, 3.0.22, 3.11.8 and 4.0-beta2, it is possible for a local attacker without access to the Apache Cassandra process or configuration files to manipulate the RMI registry to perform a man-in-the-middle attack and capture user names and passwords used to access the JMX interface. The attacker can then use these credentials to access the JMX interface and perform unauthorised operations. Users should also be aware of CVE-2019-2684, a JRE vulnerability that enables this issue to be exploited remotely.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all | ≥ 2.1.0&&< 2.1.12 | 2.1.12 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all | ≥ 2.2.0&&< 2.2.18 | 2.2.18 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all | ≥ 3.0.0&&< 3.0.22 | 3.0.22 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all | ≥ 3.11.0&&< 3.11.8 | 3.11.8 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all | ≥ 4.0-beta1&&< 4.0-beta2 | 4.0-beta2 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all. 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.cassandra:cassandra-all to 2.1.12 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2020-13946 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-2020-13946 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-2020-13946. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2020-13946 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2020-13946 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.