CVE-2023-46604 — Apache ActiveMQ Deserialization of Untrusted Data 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.activemq:activemq-client: fixed in version 5.15.16 — github.com (GitHub Security Advisories)
• Maven Org.apache.activemq:activemq-client: fixed in version 5.16.7 — github.com (GitHub Security Advisories)
• Maven Org.apache.activemq:activemq-client: fixed in version 5.17.6 — github.com (GitHub Security Advisories)
• Maven Org.apache.activemq:activemq-client: fixed in version 5.18.3 — github.com (GitHub Security Advisories)
• Maven Org.apache.activemq:activemq-openwire-legacy: fixed in version 5.15.16 — github.com (GitHub Security Advisories)
• Maven Org.apache.activemq:activemq-openwire-legacy: fixed in version 5.16.7 — github.com (GitHub Security Advisories)
• Maven Org.apache.activemq:activemq-openwire-legacy: fixed in version 5.17.6 — github.com (GitHub Security Advisories)
• Maven Org.apache.activemq:activemq-openwire-legacy: fixed in version 5.18.3 — 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: Nov 23, 2023 — passed 1057 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 ActiveMQ, Apache Software Foundation Apache ActiveMQ Legacy OpenWire Module, Debian Debian Linux…).
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 (insecure deserialization), 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-502 · Deserialization of Untrusted Data

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 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 99.89%

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).
• Monitor serialized objects in requests and unexpected processes spawned by the runtime.
• Hunt retroactively in logs from before Nov 2, 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.activemq:activemq-client, maven/org.apache.activemq:activemq-openwire-legacy
  Oct 13, 2026 · GitHub Security Advisories
• Affected products added · apache/activemq, apache/activemq legacy openwire module, debian/debian linux, netapp/e-series santricity unified manager
  Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
• CVSS changed · 10.0 → 9.8
  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 activemq, apache software foundation/apache activemq legacy openwire module
  Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• CVSS changed · 10.0
  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
  Nov 1, 2023 · CISA
• CVE published
  Oct 27, 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

21 on the record

• activemq.apache.org/security-advisories.data/CVE-2023-46604-announcement.txt
  vendor-advisory, Vendor Advisory, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2024/Apr/18
  Mailing List, Third Party Advisory, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• activemq.apache.org/security-advisories.data/CVE-2023-46604
  GitHub Security Advisories
• issues.apache.org/jira/browse/AMQ-9370
  GitHub Security Advisories
• www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/27/5
  GitHub Security Advisories
• security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20231110-0010
  GitHub Security Advisories
• github.com/apache/activemq/commit/80089f9f476afab7d976f5fc37c5ab4aa0c2139d
  GitHub Security Advisories
• github.com/apache/activemq/commit/9905e2a5bf9862a049f94ce0a2465b0c7ad52436
  GitHub Security Advisories
• lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/10/msg00027.html
  Mailing List, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• github.com/apache/activemq/commit/22442b2385b1000312aec3d19e510131d595a5fc
  GitHub Security Advisories
• packetstormsecurity.com/files/175676/Apache-ActiveMQ-Unauthenticated-Remote-Code-Execution.ht
  GitHub Security Advisories
• nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-46604
  GitHub Security Advisories
• lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/11/msg00013.html
  Mailing List, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• packetstormsecurity.com/files/175676/Apache-ActiveMQ-Unauthenticated-Remote-Code-Execution.ht
  Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• github.com/apache/activemq/pull/1098
  GitHub Security Advisories
• github.com/apache/activemq/commit/958330df26cf3d5cdb63905dc2c6882e98781d8f
  GitHub Security Advisories
• www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
  Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2023/10/27/5
  Mailing List, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• github.com/advisories/GHSA-crg9-44h2-xw35
  GitHub Security Advisories
• security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20231110-0010/
  Third Party Advisory, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• github.com/apache/activemq/commit/d0ccdd31544ada83185554c87c7aa141064020f0
  GitHub Security Advisories

Elsewhere on this site

Related CVEs (same products)

• High CVE-2026-74761 Improper Input Validation in Apache Software Foundation Apache ActiveMQ Sep 9, 2026
• High CVE-2026-12996 A use-after-free in OpenVPN 2.6.0 through 2.6.20 and 2.7_alpha1 through 2.7.4 allows remote... Jul 30, 2026
• High CVE-2026-59878 Apache ActiveMQ AMQP, Apache ActiveMQ, Apache ActiveMQ All: AMQP NIO negative frame size validation bypass leading to DoS Jul 28, 2026
• Medium CVE-2026-61487 Apache ActiveMQ Broker, Apache ActiveMQ All, Apache ActiveMQ: Authorization bypass via temporary composite destinations Jul 28, 2026
• Medium CVE-2026-14355 ext/openssl: Memory corruption in openssl_encrypt with AES-WRAP-PAD Jul 3, 2026
• Medium CVE-2026-52760 Apache ActiveMQ, Apache ActiveMQ Web Console: Stored XSS via Unescaped values in ActiveMQ Web Console Jun 30, 2026

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-2023-46604 is "Apache ActiveMQ Deserialization of Untrusted Data Vulnerability", rated Critical. It affects Apache ActiveMQ (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 99.89% 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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