Insecure Java Deserialization in Apache Karaf
Apache Karaf allows monitoring of applications and the Java runtime by using the Java Management Extensions (JMX). JMX is a Java RMI based technology that relies on Java serialized objects for client server communication. Whereas the default JMX implementation is hardened against unauthenticated deserialization attacks, the implementation used by Apache Karaf is not protected against this kind of attack. The impact of Java deserialization vulnerabilities strongly depends on the classes that are available within the targets class path. Generally speaking, deserialization of untrusted data does always represent a high security risk and should be prevented. The risk is low as, by default, Karaf uses a limited set of classes in the JMX server class path. It depends of system scoped classes (e.g. jar in the lib folder).
Affected software
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| Platform | Package | Vulnerable versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java / Kotlin (Maven) | org.apache.karaf.management:org.apache.karaf.management.server | < 4.3.6 | 4.3.6 |
References
- https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-41766
- https://github.com/apache/karaf/pull/1475
- https://github.com/apache/karaf/commit/b42c82ca3b9a22bd92d249a1060a1953f4188bc2
- https://gitbox.apache.org/repos/asf?p=karaf.git;h=93a019c
- https://gitbox.apache.org/repos/asf?p=karaf.git;h=b42c82c
- https://github.com/apache/karaf
- https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/KARAF-7312
- https://karaf.apache.org/security/cve-2021-41766.txt
- CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H- Weakness (CWE)
CWE-502- Platform
- Java / Kotlin (Maven)
- Package
org.apache.karaf.management:org.apache.karaf.management.server- Disclosed
- 28.01.2022
- Updated
- 11.10.2026 11:22
Sources and licenses
OSV / GitHub Advisory Database - GHSA-jh5g-9m4v-9vv9 - CC BY 4.0
Vulnerability history: org.apache.karaf.management:org.apache.karaf.management.server
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
- 01.2022 02.2022
- Without a fix
- 0
- Exploited in attacks
- 0
Severity breakdown
- High 1
- Medium 1
Disclosures per year
- 2022: 2
- 2023: 0
- 2024: 0
- 2025: 0
- 2026: 0
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