Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Apache commons collections
It was found that the Apache commons-collections library permitted code execution when deserializing objects involving a specially constructed chain of classes. A remote attacker could use this flaw to execute arbitrary code with the permissions of the application using the commons-collections library.
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | commons-collections:commons-collections | < 3.2.2 | 3.2.2 |
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | net.sourceforge.collections:collections-generic | = 4.01 | no fix |
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.apache.commons:commons-collections4 | < 4.1 | 4.1 |
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.apache.servicemix.bundles:org.apache.servicemix.bundles.collections-generic | >= 4.01 | no fix |
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.apache.servicemix.bundles:org.apache.servicemix.bundles.commons-collections | >= 3.2.1 | no fix |
References
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-7501
- https://access.redhat.com/security/vulnerabilities/2059393
- https://access.redhat.com/solutions/2045023
- https://arxiv.org/pdf/2306.05534.pdf
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1279330
- https://commons.apache.org/proper/commons-collections/release_4_1.html
- https://foxglovesecurity.com/2015/11/06/what-do-weblogic-websphere-jboss-jenkins-opennms-and-your-application-have-in-common-this-vulnerability
- https://github.com/apache/commons-collections
- https://github.com/jensdietrich/xshady-release/tree/main/CVE-2015-7501
- https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/COLLECTIONS-580.
- https://sourceforge.net/p/collections/code/HEAD/tree
- http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2016-1773.html
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-502- Platform
- Java / Kotlin (Maven)
- Package
commons-collections:commons-collections, net.sourceforge.collections:collections-generic, org.apache.commons:commons-collections4- Disclosed
- 13.05.2022
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 11:22
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-fjq5-5j5f-mvxh - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: org.apache.servicemix.bundles:org.apache.servicemix.bundles.commons-collections
All published vulnerabilities of this package (Java / Kotlin (Maven)), newest first. Shows whether this is a one-off slip or a package that needs watching.
- Total entries
- 2
- First → latest
- 06.2020 05.2022
- Without a fix
- 2
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- Critical 1
- High 1
Disclosures per year
- 2020: 1
- 2021: 0
- 2022: 1
- 2023: 0
- 2024: 0
- 2025: 0
- 2026: 0
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Deserialization of Untrusted Data in Apache commons collections this entry
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