CVE-2017-12149
RCE in Redhat Jboss Enterprise Application Platform 5.0.0 … 5.2.2
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2017-12149 is a critical-severity Deserialization of Untrusted Data (CWE-502) vulnerability in Redhat Jboss Enterprise Application Platform. Its CVSS base score is 9.8 (Critical).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190); ranked in the top 0.2% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
The vulnerability is a deserialization flaw (CWE-502) in the doFilter method of the ReadOnlyAccessFilter within the HTTP Invoker component of JBoss Application Server as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Application Platform 5.2. The method performs deserialization without restricting the classes that can be processed, enabling attackers to supply malicious serialized payloads.
An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit the issue over the network by sending crafted serialized data to the affected HTTP Invoker endpoint, resulting in arbitrary code execution on the server with full confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact as reflected in the CVSS 9.8 score.
Red Hat has published errata RHSA-2018:1607 and RHSA-2018:1608 that address the flaw, along with a Bugzilla entry documenting the root cause. Public exploit code targeting the vulnerability has been made available.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2017-3733
Vulnerability Data
In Jboss Application Server as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Application Platform 5.2, it was found that the doFilter method in the ReadOnlyAccessFilter of the HTTP Invoker does not restrict classes for which it performs deserialization and thus allowing an…
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attacker to execute arbitrary code via crafted serialized data.
- CWE(s)
- KEV Date Added
- 10 December 2021
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Likely Mitigating Controls AI
Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.
Penetration testing supplies malicious serialized objects, detecting unsafe deserialization and supporting corrective actions.
Evaluation of untrusted data handling (deserialization testing) reveals unsafe processing, which the required remediation process addresses.
Untrusted serialized data can be deserialized and observed inside the chamber, blocking gadget-chain exploitation outside the sandbox.
Validates or rejects untrusted serialized data before deserialization occurs.
Identifies and blocks malicious code introduced through deserialization of untrusted data at system boundaries.
Integrity verification of serialized information can detect tampering before deserialization occurs.
Provenance of associated data allows detection of untrusted sources before deserialization or processing occurs.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
PR.PS-02 addresses only post-deployment updates/patching and cannot prevent introduction of unsafe deserialization code, yet it can remediate some instances when the flaw exists in outdated libraries or components.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing includes validation of deserialization routines and the use of untrusted data, reducing the likelihood that unsafe object reconstruction will be deployed.
Requiring vetted libraries, regular updates and SAST before release reduces the likelihood that deserialization logic will accept and act on attacker-controlled serialized objects.
Regular scanning of third-party libraries and timely patching reduce the likelihood that unsafe deserialization vulnerabilities remain active.
Mandatory malware scanning of data received over networks or storage media intercepts malicious serialized payloads before they are deserialized by the target application.