CVE-2023-33246 — Apache RocketMQ Command Execution Vulnerability

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

• Maven Org.apache.rocketmq:rocketmq-broker: fixed in version 5.1.1 — github.com (GitHub Security Advisories)
• Maven Org.apache.rocketmq:rocketmq-namesrv: fixed in version 4.9.6 — github.com (GitHub Security Advisories)
• Maven Org.apache.rocketmq:rocketmq-namesrv: fixed in version 5.1.1 — github.com (GitHub Security Advisories)
• Maven Org.apache.rocketmq:rocketmq-controller: fixed in version 5.1.1 — github.com (GitHub Security Advisories)

CISA required action CISA

Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

US federal deadline: Sep 27, 2023 — passed 1114 day(s) ago

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Apache Software Foundation Apache RocketMQ, Maven Org.apache.rocketmq:rocketmq-broker, Maven Org.apache.rocketmq:rocketmq-controller…).
2. Treat as emergency remediation: the CVE is in CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
3. The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
4. Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
5. EPSS ahead of 100% of scored CVEs: prioritize it in the patch queue.
6. Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (injection), errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-94 · Code Injection

Other CVEs with this weakness →

CISA KEV details CISA

CISA lists a CVE once it has evidence of exploitation against real targets.

CISA records ransomware use only for campaigns it has confirmed, so “Unknown” means unrecorded, not ruled out. The deadline binds US federal agencies; for everyone else it is a reference date.

Public exploits, PoCs and detection templates

Public code that demonstrates or tests the flaw raises the odds of mass exploitation — and Nuclei templates help find vulnerable assets in your environment.

Warning: public PoCs are sometimes disguised malware. Use them only for authorized testing in an isolated environment. This portal does not host exploit code — it only points to the sources.

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 12, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 3 reading(s) · max 96.57%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

• Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
• Look for parameters with command/query metacharacters and unexpected child processes of the service.
• Hunt retroactively in logs from before Sep 6, 2023 (KEV listing): exploitation may have started earlier.

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

• 2026
• Fix documented
  Oct 13, 2026 · GitHub Security Advisories
• Affected products added · maven/org.apache.rocketmq:rocketmq-broker, maven/org.apache.rocketmq:rocketmq-namesrv, maven/org.apache.rocketmq:rocketm
  Oct 13, 2026 · GitHub Security Advisories
• Affected products added · apache/rocketmq
  Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
• Source status changed · Published → Analyzed
  Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
• Record published
  Oct 13, 2026
• Affected products added · apache software foundation/apache rocketmq
  Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• CVSS changed · 9.8
  Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• Source status changed · → Published
  Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• SSVC assessment updated
  Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• Added to CISA KEV (detected)
  Oct 13, 2026 · CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
• Record created in this database
  Oct 13, 2026 · CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
• 2023
• Added to CISA KEV catalog
  Sep 5, 2023 · CISA
• CVE published
  May 24, 2023 · apache

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

• 3× References added · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
• 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026

References

11 on the record

• lists.apache.org/thread/1s8j2c8kogthtpv3060yddk03zq0pxyp
  vendor-advisory, Mailing List, Vendor Advisory, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/07/12/1
  Mailing List, Third Party Advisory, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• github.com/apache/rocketmq/commit/c3ada731405c5990c36bf58d50b3e61965300703
  GitHub Security Advisories
• github.com/advisories/GHSA-x3cq-8f32-5f63
  GitHub Security Advisories
• github.com/jakabakos/CVE-2023-33246_Apache_RocketMQ_RCE
  Exploit, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
  Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• github.com/Malayke/CVE-2023-33246_RocketMQ_RCE_EXPLOIT
  Exploit, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• github.com/apache/rocketmq/commit/9d411cf04a695e7a3f41036e8377b0aa544d754d
  GitHub Security Advisories
• www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/rocketmq-rce-cve-2023-33246-33247
  Exploit, Third Party Advisory, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-33246
  GitHub Security Advisories
• packetstormsecurity.com/files/173339/Apache-RocketMQ-5.1.0-Arbitrary-Code-Injection.html
  Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

Elsewhere on this site

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

• No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
• No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
• No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2023-33246 is "Apache RocketMQ Command Execution Vulnerability", rated Critical. It affects Apache RocketMQ (Apache Software Foundation); versions are in the scope table. It is in CISA KEV: there is evidence of real-world exploitation. CVSS 9.8 describes technical severity. EPSS 96.57% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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