CVE-2020-5396: JMX Insecure Default Configuration in GemFire

Severity: high (CVSS 8.8 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 1.9% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2020-07-31 · updated 2026-06-17
Weakness: CWE-284

Description

VMware GemFire versions prior to 9.10.0, 9.9.2, 9.8.7, and 9.7.6, and VMware Tanzu GemFire for VMs versions prior to 1.11.1 and 1.10.2, when deployed without a SecurityManager, contain a JMX service available which contains an insecure default configuration. This allows a malicious user to create an MLet mbean leading to remote code execution.

Affected products

VMware Gemfire: from 9.7.0 before 9.7.6; from 9.8.0 before 9.8.7; from 9.9.0 before 9.9.2 — fixed in 9.7.6, 9.8.7, 9.9.2
VMware Tanzu Gemfire For Virtual Machines: from 1.10.0 before 1.10.2; from 1.11.0 before 1.11.1 — fixed in 1.10.2, 1.11.1
VMware Gemfire: from 9.7 before 9.7.6; from 9.8 before 9.8.7; from 9.9 before 9.9.2; from 9.10 before 9.10.0 — fixed in 9.7.6, 9.8.7, 9.9.2, 9.10.0
VMware Tanzu GemFire for VMs: from 1.10 before 1.10.2; from 1.11 before 1.11.1 — fixed in 1.10.2, 1.11.1

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: VMware Gemfire 9.7.6, 9.8.7, 9.9.2; VMware Tanzu Gemfire For Virtual Machines 1.10.2, 1.11.1; VMware Gemfire 9.7.6, 9.8.7, 9.9.2, 9.10.0; VMware Tanzu GemFire for VMs 1.10.2, 1.11.1. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

Get alerted when CVE-2020-5396 or the next vulnerability affects your stack