How severe is CVE-2021-26117?

CVE-2021-26117 has a CVSS score of 7.5/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2021-26117?

CVE-2021-26117 affects the following packages: org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent (Maven), org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent (Maven), org.apache.activemq:apache-artemis (Maven). Ecosystems affected: Maven.

How do I fix CVE-2021-26117?

Update org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent to 5.16.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-26117 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

How do I detect CVE-2021-26117 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, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.

How do I mitigate CVE-2021-26117 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

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.

Is CVE-2021-26117 actively exploited in the wild?

No public exploit code has been indexed for CVE-2021-26117 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-2021-26117?

CVE-2021-26117 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 11.3%, placing it in the 96th 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 warrants monitoring and prompt remediation.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2021-26117?

CVE-2021-26117 is classified as Improper Authentication (CWE-287). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

When was CVE-2021-26117 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2021-26117 was published on January 27, 2021 and was last updated on October 24, 2026. 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

HIGH severity

CVE-2021-26117 — activemq-parent

HIGHFix: apache/activemq@46a774c

CVE-2021-26117 is a high-severity (CVSS 7.5) Improper Authentication vulnerability in org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent. EPSS puts its 30-day exploitation probability at 11.3% (96th percentile). A fix is available for org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent — see the affected versions and patch details below.

Improper Authentication in Apache ActiveMQ and Apache Artemis

Also known asBIT-activemq-2021-26117GHSA-9mgm-gcq8-86wq

Published

Jan 27, 2021

Updated

Oct 24, 2026

Affected

3 pkgs

Patched

3 / 3

Exploits

None indexed

Exploitation data as of Oct 30, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

11.3%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Moderate Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs96th percentile — riskier than 96% 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

3 pkgs affected

☕org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent☕org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent☕org.apache.activemq:apache-artemis

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 optional ActiveMQ LDAP login module can be configured to use anonymous access to the LDAP server. In this case, for Apache ActiveMQ Artemis prior to version 2.16.0 and Apache ActiveMQ prior to versions 5.16.1 and 5.15.14, the anonymous context is used to verify a valid users password in error, resulting in no check on the password.

Affected Packages

3 total 3 fixed

Ecosystem	Package	Vulnerable range	Fix
☕Maven	`org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent`	≥ 5.16.0&&< 5.16.1	5.16.1`org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent:5.16.1`
☕Maven	`org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent`	all versions	5.15.14`org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent:5.15.14`
☕Maven	`org.apache.activemq:apache-artemis`	all versions	2.16.0`org.apache.activemq:apache-artemis:2.16.0`

Affected Products

8 products · 10 configurations

Application

activemqapache

≥ 5.16.0 && < 5.16.1

range

Application

artemisapache

< 2.16.0

range

debian linuxdebian

1 version

9.0

Application

oncommand workflow automationnetapp

all

Application

communications element manageroracle

≥ 8.2.0 && ≤ 8.2.4.0

range

Application

communications session report manageroracle

≥ 8.2.0 && ≤ 8.2.2

range

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, including transitive dependencies — a direct dependency you never call can still pull in a vulnerable version.
Fix
Update org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent to 5.16.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2021-26117 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.

Red HatImportant

Workaround published by Red Hat

There is currently no known mitigation for this issue.

Source: Red Hat security advisory for CVE-2021-26117 (CC BY 4.0)

Product	Fixed in	Advisory
Red Hat AMQ	see advisory	RHSA-2020:4154
Red Hat AMQ	see advisory	RHSA-2020:5365
Red Hat Fuse/AMQ 6.3.18	`broker`	RHSA-2021:0384

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2021-26117 in your dependencies?

Find it across Maven, including transitive dependencies.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works

CVE-2021-26117 — activemq-parent

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

Fixing This On Your OS

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CVE-2021-26117 in your dependencies?