CVE-2021-26117
ActiveMQ: LDAP-Authentication does not verify passwords on servers with anonymous bind
The optional ActiveMQ LDAP login module can be configured to use anonymous access to the LDAP server. In this case, for Apache ActiveMQ Artemis prior to version 2.16.0 and Apache ActiveMQ prior to versions 5.16.1 and 5.15.14, the anonymous context is used to verify a valid users password in error, resulting in no check on the password.
Attack profile
How easy it is to exploit
- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges needed
- None
- User interaction
- None
What an attacker can affect
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
Exploit likelihood
What each source reports
NVD Score used
7.5
The optional ActiveMQ LDAP login module can be configured to use anonymous access to the LDAP server. In this case, for Apache ActiveMQ Artemis prior to version 2.16.0 and Apache ActiveMQ prior to versions 5.16.1 and 5.15.14, the anonymous context is used to verify a valid users password in error, resulting in no check on the password.
- Record
CVE-2021-26117- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - CVSS 2.0
- 5.0 Medium
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:P/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-287
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
CVE List No score
ActiveMQ: LDAP-Authentication does not verify passwords on servers with anonymous bind
The optional ActiveMQ LDAP login module can be configured to use anonymous access to the LDAP server. In this case, for Apache ActiveMQ Artemis prior to version 2.16.0 and Apache ActiveMQ prior to versions 5.16.1 and 5.15.14, the anonymous context is used to verify a valid users password in error, resulting in no check on the password.
- Record
CVE-2021-26117- Weakness
- CWE-287
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2021-1304 No score
The optional ActiveMQ LDAP login module can be configured to use anonymous access to the LDAP server. In this case, for Apache ActiveMQ Artemis prior to version 2.16.0 and Apache ActiveMQ prior to versions 5.16.1 and 5.15.14, the anonymous context is used to verify a valid users password in error, resulting in no check on the password.
- Record
EUVD-2021-1304- Updated
- 2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-9mgm-gcq8-86wq
7.5
Improper Authentication in Apache ActiveMQ and Apache Artemis
The optional ActiveMQ LDAP login module can be configured to use anonymous access to the LDAP server. In this case, for Apache ActiveMQ Artemis prior to version 2.16.0 and Apache ActiveMQ prior to versions 5.16.1 and 5.15.14, the anonymous context is used to verify a valid users password in error, resulting in no check on the password.
- Record
GHSA-9mgm-gcq8-86wq- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-287
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSV
7.5
The optional ActiveMQ LDAP login module can be configured to use anonymous access to the LDAP server. In this case, for Apache ActiveMQ Artemis prior to version 2.16.0 and Apache ActiveMQ prior to versions 5.16.1 and 5.15.14, the anonymous context is used to verify a valid users password in error, resulting in no check on the password.
- Record
CVE-2021-26117- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2021-26117
7.5
The optional ActiveMQ LDAP login module can be configured to use anonymous access to the LDAP server. In this case, for Apache ActiveMQ Artemis prior to version 2.16.0 and Apache ActiveMQ prior to versions 5.16.1 and 5.15.14, the anonymous context is used to verify a valid users password in error, resulting in no check on the password.
- Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2021-26117- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
Show 4 moreShow less
OSVGHSA-9mgm-gcq8-86wq
7.5
Improper Authentication in Apache ActiveMQ and Apache Artemis
The optional ActiveMQ LDAP login module can be configured to use anonymous access to the LDAP server. In this case, for Apache ActiveMQ Artemis prior to version 2.16.0 and Apache ActiveMQ prior to versions 5.16.1 and 5.15.14, the anonymous context is used to verify a valid users password in error, resulting in no check on the password.
- Record
GHSA-9mgm-gcq8-86wq- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - Weakness
- CWE-287
- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2021-26117
7.5
The optional ActiveMQ LDAP login module can be configured to use anonymous access to the LDAP server. In this case, for Apache ActiveMQ Artemis prior to version 2.16.0 and Apache ActiveMQ prior to versions 5.16.1 and 5.15.14, the anonymous context is used to verify a valid users password in error, resulting in no check on the password.
- Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2021-26117- CVSS 3.1
- 7.5 High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N - Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVBIT-activemq-2021-26117 No score
ActiveMQ: LDAP-Authentication does not verify passwords on servers with anonymous bind
The optional ActiveMQ LDAP login module can be configured to use anonymous access to the LDAP server. In this case, for Apache ActiveMQ Artemis prior to version 2.16.0 and Apache ActiveMQ prior to versions 5.16.1 and 5.15.14, the anonymous context is used to verify a valid users password in error, resulting in no check on the password.
- Record
BIT-activemq-2021-26117- Updated
- 2026-11-02
OSVUSN-6910-1 No score
activemq vulnerabilities
Chess Hazlett discovered that Apache ActiveMQ incorrectly handled certain commands. A remote attacker could possibly use this issue to terminate the program, resulting in a denial of service. This issue only affected Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. (CVE-2015-7559)
Peter Stöckli discovered that Apache ActiveMQ incorrectly handled hostname verification. A remote attacker could possibly use this issue to perform a person-in-the-middle attack. This issue only affected Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. (CVE-2018-11775)
Jonathan Gallimore and Colm Ó hÉigeartaigh discovered that Apache ActiveMQ incorrectly handled authentication in certain functions. A remote attacker could possibly use this issue to perform a person-in-the-middle attack. This issue only affected Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, Ubuntu 18.04 LTS and Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. (CVE-2020-13920)
Gregor Tudan discovered that Apache ActiveMQ incorrectly handled LDAP authentication. A remote attacker could possibly use this issue to acquire unauthenticated access. This issue only affected Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, Ubuntu 18.04 LTS and Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. (CVE-2021-26117)
It was discovered that Apache ActiveMQ incorrectly handled authentication. A remote attacker could possibly use this issue to run arbitrary code. (CVE-2022-41678)
It was discovered that Apache ActiveMQ incorrectly handled deserialization. A remote attacker could possibly use this issue to run arbitrary shell commands. (CVE-2023-46604)
- Record
USN-6910-1- Updated
- 2026-11-02
Affected products
Affected packages
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
org.apache.activemq:activemq-parentMaven |
5.16.0 up to 5.16.1 | 5.16.1 |
org.apache.activemq:activemq-parentMaven |
before 5.15.14 | 5.15.14 |
org.apache.activemq:apache-artemisMaven |
before 2.16.0 | 2.16.0 |
activemqBitnami |
5.15.0 up to 5.15.14, 5.16.0 up to 5.16.1 | 5.15.145.16.1 |
activemqDebian:12 |
before 5.16.1-1 | 5.16.1-1 |
activemqDebian:13 |
before 5.16.1-1 | 5.16.1-1 |
activemqDebian:9 From an advisory covering 4 CVEs |
before 5.14.3-3+deb9u2, plus listed versions 5.14.3-35.14.3-3+deb9u1 |
5.14.3-3+deb9u2 |
activemqDebian:10 From an advisory covering 3 CVEs |
before 5.15.16-0+deb10u1, plus listed versions 5.15.10-15.15.11-15.15.8-25.15.9-1 |
5.15.16-0+deb10u1 |
org.apache.activemq:activemq-parentMaven |
before 5.15.14, plus listed versions 4.1.14.1.25.0.05.1.05.10.0 Show 45 moreShow less5.10.15.10.25.11.05.11.15.11.25.11.35.11.45.12.05.12.15.12.25.12.35.13.05.13.15.13.25.13.35.13.45.13.55.14.05.14.15.14.25.14.35.14.45.14.55.15.05.15.15.15.105.15.115.15.125.15.135.15.25.15.35.15.45.15.55.15.65.15.75.15.85.15.95.2.05.3.05.3.15.3.25.4.05.4.15.4.25.4.3 |
5.15.14 |
org.apache.activemq:apache-artemisMaven |
before 2.16.0, plus listed versions 1.0.01.1.01.2.01.3.01.4.0 Show 29 moreShow less1.5.01.5.11.5.21.5.31.5.41.5.51.5.62.0.02.1.02.10.02.10.12.11.02.12.02.13.02.14.02.15.02.2.02.3.02.4.02.5.02.6.02.6.12.6.22.6.32.6.42.7.02.8.02.8.12.9.0 |
2.16.0 |
Show 7 moreShow less
| Package | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|
activemqUbuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS |
before 5.13.2+dfsg-2ubuntu0.1~esm1, plus listed versions 5.6.0+dfsg1-4+deb8u1ubuntu15.6.0+dfsg1-55.13.2+dfsg-2 |
5.13.2+dfsg-2ubuntu0.1~esm1 |
activemqUbuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS |
before 5.15.8-2~18.04.1~esm1, plus listed versions 5.14.5-35.15.2-25.15.3-25.15.8-2~18.04 |
5.15.8-2~18.04.1~esm1 |
activemqUbuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS |
before 5.15.11-1ubuntu0.1~esm1, plus listed versions 5.15.10-15.15.11-1 |
5.15.11-1ubuntu0.1~esm1 |
activemqUbuntu:Pro:16.04:LTS From an advisory covering 6 CVEs |
before 5.13.2+dfsg-2ubuntu0.1~esm1, plus listed versions 5.6.0+dfsg1-4+deb8u1ubuntu15.6.0+dfsg1-55.13.2+dfsg-2 |
5.13.2+dfsg-2ubuntu0.1~esm1 |
activemqUbuntu:Pro:18.04:LTS From an advisory covering 6 CVEs |
before 5.15.8-2~18.04.1~esm1, plus listed versions 5.14.5-35.15.2-25.15.3-25.15.8-2~18.04 |
5.15.8-2~18.04.1~esm1 |
activemqUbuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS From an advisory covering 6 CVEs |
before 5.15.11-1ubuntu0.1~esm1, plus listed versions 5.15.10-15.15.11-1 |
5.15.11-1ubuntu0.1~esm1 |
activemqUbuntu:Pro:22.04:LTS From an advisory covering 6 CVEs |
before 5.16.1-1ubuntu0.1~esm1, plus listed versions 5.16.1-1 |
5.16.1-1ubuntu0.1~esm1 |
History
| Recorded | Changed | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| affected, facts | ||
| aliases | EUVD | |
| first indexed | CVE List, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV |
Dates are when Every CVE recorded each change. Upstream dates may differ.
In short
CVE-2021-26117 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.5) in Apache Activemq, published January 27, 2021. No source lists public exploit code. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 11.3%, the 96th percentile. Fixed in org.apache.activemq:activemq-parent 5.16.1.
References
mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/activemq-users/202101.mbox/%3cCAH+vQmMeUEiKN4wYX9nLBbqmFZFPXqajNvBKmzb2V8QZANcSTA%40mail.gmail.com%3e
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rffa5cd05d01c4c9853b17f3004d80ea6eb8856c422a8545c5f79b1a6%40%3Ccommits.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/re1b98da90a5f2e1c2e2d50e31c12e2578d61fe01c0737f9d0bd8de99%40%3Cannounce.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r946488fb942fd35c6a6e0359f52504a558ed438574a8f14d36d7dcd7%40%3Ccommits.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/03/msg00005.html
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r70389648227317bdadcdecbd9f238571a6047469d156bd72bb0ca2f7%40%3Cgitbox.activemq.apache.org%3E
Show 45 moreShow less
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r5899ece90bcae5805ad6142fdb05c58595cff19cb2e98cc58a91f55b%40%3Cgitbox.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rec93794f8aeddf8a5f1a643d264b4e66b933f06fd72a38f31448f0ac%40%3Cgitbox.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rd75600cee29cb248d548edcf6338fe296466d63a69e2ed0afc439ec7%40%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/raea451de09baed76950d6a60cc4bb1b74476c505e03205a3c68c9808%40%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r110cacfa754471361234965ffe851a046e302ff2693b055f49f47b02%40%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r22cdc0fb45e223ac92bc2ceff7af92f1193dfc614c8b248534456229%40%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r3341d96d8f956e878fb7b463b08d57ca1d58fec9c970aee929b58e0d%40%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r519bfafd67091d0b91243efcb1c49b1eea27321355ba5594f679277d%40%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rd05b1c9d61dbd220664d559aa0e2b55e5830f006a09e82057f3f7863%40%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/ra255ddfc8b613b80e9fa22ff3e106168b245f38a22316bfb54d21159%40%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E
oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuApr2021.html
security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210304-0008
oracle.com//security-alerts/cpujul2021.html
oracle.com/security-alerts/cpuoct2021.html
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2023/11/msg00013.html
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2021-26117
issues.apache.org/jira/browse/AMQ-8035
issues.apache.org/jira/browse/ARTEMIS-2895
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r70389648227317bdadcdecbd9f238571a6047469d156bd72bb0ca2f7@%3Cgitbox.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r946488fb942fd35c6a6e0359f52504a558ed438574a8f14d36d7dcd7@%3Ccommits.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/re1b98da90a5f2e1c2e2d50e31c12e2578d61fe01c0737f9d0bd8de99@%3Cannounce.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rffa5cd05d01c4c9853b17f3004d80ea6eb8856c422a8545c5f79b1a6@%3Ccommits.activemq.apache.org%3E
mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/activemq-users/202101.mbox/%3cCAH+[email protected]%3e
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r5899ece90bcae5805ad6142fdb05c58595cff19cb2e98cc58a91f55b@%3Cgitbox.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rec93794f8aeddf8a5f1a643d264b4e66b933f06fd72a38f31448f0ac@%3Cgitbox.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r110cacfa754471361234965ffe851a046e302ff2693b055f49f47b02@%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r22cdc0fb45e223ac92bc2ceff7af92f1193dfc614c8b248534456229@%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/raea451de09baed76950d6a60cc4bb1b74476c505e03205a3c68c9808@%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rd75600cee29cb248d548edcf6338fe296466d63a69e2ed0afc439ec7@%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r3341d96d8f956e878fb7b463b08d57ca1d58fec9c970aee929b58e0d@%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/r519bfafd67091d0b91243efcb1c49b1eea27321355ba5594f679277d@%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/rd05b1c9d61dbd220664d559aa0e2b55e5830f006a09e82057f3f7863@%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E
lists.apache.org/thread.html/ra255ddfc8b613b80e9fa22ff3e106168b245f38a22316bfb54d21159@%3Cissues.activemq.apache.org%3E
github.com/apache/activemq/commit/46a774c
github.com/apache/activemq/commit/73e291693d59a96c0054fc7e7e09c2c67b192911
github.com/advisories/GHSA-9mgm-gcq8-86wq
security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2021-26117
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2021-26117
cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2021-26117
ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-6910-1
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2015-7559
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2018-11775
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2020-13920
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2022-41678
ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2023-46604
Left out here: 7 versions. The JSON record has them.