CVE-2025-46548 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.5) Improper Authentication vulnerability in org.apache.pekko:pekko-management_2.12. O3 Security confirms whether CVE-2025-46548 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.
Apache Pekko Management, Apache Pekko Management, Apache Pekko Management, Akka Management, Akka Management, Akka Management: management API basic authentication is not effective
Real-World Exposure
org.apache.pekko:pekko-management_2.12☕com.lightbend.akka.management:akka-management_2.13☕org.apache.pekko:pekko-management_2.13☕org.apache.pekko:pekko-management_3☕com.lightbend.akka.management:akka-management_2.12☕com.lightbend.akka.management:akka-management_3Real-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
If you enable Basic Authentication in Pekko Management using the Java DSL, the authenticator may not be properly applied.
Users that rely on authentication instead of making sure the Management API ports are only available to trusted users are recommended to upgrade to version 1.1.1, which fixes this issue.
Akka was affected by the same issue and has released the fix in version 1.6.1.
Affected Packages
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable range | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| ☕Maven | org.apache.pekko:pekko-management_2.12 | all versions | 1.1.1 |
| ☕Maven | com.lightbend.akka.management:akka-management_2.13 | all versions | 1.6.1 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.pekko:pekko-management_2.13 | all versions | 1.1.1 |
| ☕Maven | org.apache.pekko:pekko-management_3 | all versions | 1.1.1 |
| ☕Maven | com.lightbend.akka.management:akka-management_2.12 | all versions | 1.6.1 |
| ☕Maven | com.lightbend.akka.management:akka-management_3 | all versions | 1.6.1 |
Detection & mitigation playbook
Open-source dependencyDetect
Scan your dependency tree (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml, requirements.txt, go.sum, etc.) for org.apache.pekko:pekko-management_2.12. 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.pekko:pekko-management_2.12 to 1.1.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms CVE-2025-46548 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-2025-46548 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-2025-46548. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2025-46548 in your dependencies?
O3 detects CVE-2025-46548 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.