CVE-2025-48913
Apache Cxf ≤ 3.6.8
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HSummary
CVE-2025-48913 is a critical-severity Improper Input Validation (CWE-20) vulnerability in Apache Cxf. 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 47% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SI-10 (Information Input Validation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2025-48913 is a critical vulnerability in Apache CXF, a framework for building web services, specifically affecting its JMS (Java Message Service) configuration interface. The issue arises when untrusted users are permitted to configure JMS, allowing them to specify RMI or LDAP URLs. These protocols could previously be leveraged to achieve arbitrary code execution on the server. The vulnerability is rated with a CVSS v3.1 base score of 9.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) and is associated with CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation).
Attackers can exploit this vulnerability remotely over the network with low complexity and no required privileges or user interaction. Exploitation requires that untrusted users or remote parties be allowed to configure JMS in the Apache CXF deployment. Successful exploitation enables arbitrary code execution, granting high-impact confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromises on the affected system.
Apache advisories recommend upgrading to fixed versions 3.6.8, 4.0.9, or 4.1.3, which restrict the JMS configuration interface to reject RMI and LDAP protocols, thereby eliminating the code execution risk. Additional details are available in the Apache mailing list announcement at https://lists.apache.org/thread/f1nv488ztc0js4g5ml2v88mzkzslyh83 and the OSS-Security mailing list at http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2025/08/07/2.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-23982
Vulnerability Data
If untrusted users are allowed to configure JMS for Apache CXF, previously they could use RMI or LDAP URLs, potentially leading to code execution capabilities. This interface is now restricted to reject those protocols, removing this possibility. Users are recommended…
more
to upgrade to versions 3.6.8, 4.0.9 or 4.1.3, which fix this issue.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
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- 6 hardening rules · 3 OS baselines
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Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation can discover missing input validation through analysis or test cases.
SI-10 directly requires validity checks on information inputs, structurally preventing improper or missing validation.
Requiring documented development standards and tools can embed input-validation practices into the engineering process.
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.
Secure SDLC practices directly require and enforce input validation during development.
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.
Testing against a defined set of requirements and using code review plus vulnerability scanning forces validation of inputs and handling of unanticipated conditions, reducing the chance that malformed data will be accepted.
Secure-coding guidelines and mandatory security testing (including code scans) compel developers to validate and sanitize inputs at design and implementation time, lowering the incidence of malformed or malicious data reaching downstream components.
Mandating input controls that include integrity checks and input validation ensures that untrusted data is examined before use, blocking the root cause of many injection and malformed-data weaknesses.
Security-by-design principles explicitly call for data validation and sanitization at every layer, reducing the chance that malformed or malicious input will be processed without scrutiny.
Requiring language-specific secure coding standards, peer review, SAST and documented mitigation of common programming errors forces validation of all inputs before they are trusted.
Regular automated validation of system software and data content, combined with scanning of all inbound files, enforces input validation at the boundary before untrusted content is processed.
Hardening callouts derived
Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).
RHEL 8 (1 rule)
- V-230265 RHEL 8 must prevent the installation of software, patches, service packs, device drivers, or operating system components of local packages without verification they have been digitally signed using a certificate that is issued by a Certificate Authority (CA) that is recognized and approved by the organization. prevents CWE-20