CVE-2024-32114: High-Severity Vulnerability Exposed in Apache ActiveMQ

Apache ActiveMQ, widely regarded as the most popular open-source, multi-protocol, Java-based message broker, facilitates communication across a diverse array of client software and programming languages, including JavaScript, C, C++, Python, .Net, and more. By supporting standard protocols such as AMQP, it ensures broad compatibility and flexibility in integrating multi-platform applications. However, a high-severity security vulnerability, identified as CVE-2024-32114, has been discovered in its version 6.x that poses significant risks to users of the platform.

Details of the Vulnerability

CVE-2024-32114 has been rated with a severity score of 8.5 on the CVSS scale, indicating a high level of risk. This vulnerability stems from an insecure default configuration in Apache ActiveMQ 6.x, specifically related to the Jolokia JMX REST API and the Message REST API, both of which are accessible via the API web context. The default configuration does not secure these APIs, which means they are accessible without any form of authentication.

Implications of the Vulnerability

The lack of authentication allows unauthorized users unfettered access to perform a variety of actions on the message broker. Malicious actors could potentially interact with the broker using the Jolokia JMX REST API or manipulate messaging functions such as producing/consuming messages and purging/deleting destinations through the Message REST API. This could lead to unauthorized data access, data loss, or service disruption, significantly compromising the integrity and availability of the application.

Mitigation Strategies

To address this vulnerability, users of Apache ActiveMQ 6.x are advised to take immediate action. The recommended mitigation involves updating the default configuration within the conf/jetty.xml file to enforce authentication. This can be accomplished by adding a security constraint mapping to the configuration, as demonstrated below:

<bean id="securityConstraintMapping" class="org.eclipse.jetty.security.ConstraintMapping">
    <property name="constraint" ref="securityConstraint" />
    <property name="pathSpec" value="/" />
</bean>

This configuration snippet ensures that access to the API web context is secured, requiring proper authentication before any interaction can occur.

Long-Term Solution

While the above mitigation provides a quick fix to secure ActiveMQ against CVE-2024-32114, Apache recommends upgrading to Apache ActiveMQ version 6.1.2. This newer version includes an updated default configuration that secures the Jolokia and REST APIs by default, thereby offering a more permanent solution to the vulnerability.