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CRITICAL severity

GHSA-x3cq-8f32-5f63

CRITICALFix: apache/rocketmq@9d411cf

GHSA-x3cq-8f32-5f63 is a critical-severity (CVSS 9.8) Code Injection vulnerability in org.apache.rocketmq:rocketmq-broker. 20 public exploit references exist, so weaponization risk is real. O3 Security confirms whether GHSA-x3cq-8f32-5f63 is actually reachable in your code before you act, and blocks exploitation at runtime until you patch.

Apache RocketMQ may have remote code execution vulnerability when using update configuration function

Also known asCVE-2023-33246
Published
Jul 6, 2023
Updated
Oct 22, 2025
Affected
4 pkgs
Patched
4 / 4
Exploits
20 known
Exploitation data as of Sep 8, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

Actively exploited in the wild

  • CISA’s SSVC triage classifies this CVE as under active exploitation.
  • CISA assesses this as automatable — exploitation doesn’t require manual, per-target effort, which raises the odds of mass scanning and opportunistic attacks.
  • A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA’s SSVC triage for GHSA-x3cq-8f32-5f63.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗
96.6%probability of exploitation in next 30 days
Very High Risk-0.04%
Lower risk than most CVEs100th percentile — riskier than 100% of all scored CVEsHighest risk
93.7%94.9%96.1%97.3%94.4%96.6%Mar 26Jul 26Sep 26

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.

How urgent is this, really

GHSA-x3cq-8f32-5f63 plotted by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). The shaded corner — EPSS 50%+ and CVSS 7.0+ — is where this CVE sits: patch-first territory.

Where this sits among everything scored

Of 0 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the ≥ 90% band (highlighted). Real counts from FIRST.org, not a sample — log-scaled since the landscape is heavily right-skewed.

Real-World Exposure

4 pkgs affected
org.apache.rocketmq:rocketmq-brokerorg.apache.rocketmq:rocketmq-namesrvorg.apache.rocketmq:rocketmq-controllerorg.apache.rocketmq:rocketmq-namesrv

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

For RocketMQ versions 5.1.0 and below, under certain conditions, there is a risk of remote command execution. 

Several components of RocketMQ, including NameServer, Broker, and Controller, are leaked on the extranet and lack permission verification, an attacker can exploit this vulnerability by using the update configuration function to execute commands as the system users that RocketMQ is running as. Additionally, an attacker can achieve the same effect by forging the RocketMQ protocol content. 

To prevent these attacks, users are recommended to upgrade to version 5.1.1 or above for using RocketMQ 5.x or 4.9.6 or above for using RocketMQ 4.x .

Affected Packages

4 total 4 fixed
EcosystemPackageVulnerable rangeFix
Mavenorg.apache.rocketmq:rocketmq-broker5.0.0&&< 5.1.15.1.1
Mavenorg.apache.rocketmq:rocketmq-namesrv4.0.0&&< 4.9.64.9.6
Mavenorg.apache.rocketmq:rocketmq-controller5.0.0&&< 5.1.15.1.1
Mavenorg.apache.rocketmq:rocketmq-namesrv5.0.0&&< 5.1.15.1.1
Exploits & PoCs
20

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

Detection & mitigation playbook

Open-source dependency
  1. Detect

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

  2. Fix

    Update org.apache.rocketmq:rocketmq-broker to 5.1.1 or later, then make sure no transitive (indirect) dependency still pins the vulnerable range — O3 confirms GHSA-x3cq-8f32-5f63 is resolved across your whole dependency graph.

  3. 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.

  4. How O3 protects you

    O3 pinpoints whether GHSA-x3cq-8f32-5f63 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 GHSA-x3cq-8f32-5f63. Runtime protection reduces exposure until a permanent patch is applied and verified — it complements patching, it doesn't replace it.

Frequently Asked Questions

For RocketMQ versions 5.1.0 and below, under certain conditions, there is a risk of remote command execution.  Several components of RocketMQ, including NameServer, Broker, and Controller, are leaked on the extranet and lack permission verification, an attacker can exploit this vulnerability by using the update configuration function to execute commands as the system users that RocketMQ is running as. Additionally, an attacker can achieve the same effect by forging the RocketMQ protocol content.  To prevent these attacks, users are recommended to upgrade to version 5.1.1 or above for using R
O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is GHSA-x3cq-8f32-5f63 in your dependencies?

O3 detects GHSA-x3cq-8f32-5f63 across Maven dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.

GHSA-x3cq-8f32-5f63: rocketmq-broker… | O3 Security