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Apache TomEE: Missing authentication for Hessian endpoints in embedded HTTP server

Exploited
No known exploitation
Fix
Fixed in 10.0.0-M1
Who is exposed
Not reported

Do first: Upgrade to a fixed version: 10.0.0-M1.

Published
Last modified
Reference
Last checked
10/100 · provisional
None on Exploit-DB, Metasploit or GitHub

Summary

Apache TomEE's embedded HTTP server silently ignores configured authentication and transport security on Hessian remoting endpoints, so a remote attacker without credentials can invoke exposed EJB methods, including over an unencrypted connection. Only deployments that use the embedded HTTP server instead of Tomcat and rely on these settings are affected.

Written by anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5 from the sources below. Verify against them.

Read the original description

When Hessian remoting endpoints are served by the embedded HTTP server, configured authentication and transport security requirements are silently ignored. A remote unauthenticated attacker can invoke the exposed EJB methods without credentials or over an unencrypted connection. Only deployments that use the embedded HTTP server rather than Tomcat and rely on these settings are affected. Users are recommended to block network access to Hessian endpoints from untrusted clients, or to migrate to another remoting protocol.

cve.now Index

10Pcve.now Index 10 of 100 · methodology v3 · provisional
  • Exploitation?/40Unknown. No CISA SSVC exploitation rating yet
  • Exposure?/25Unknown. No advisory context yet
  • Reach10/20Affects Maven packages
  • Severity?/10Unknown. No CVSS score or vendor rating
  • No patch0/5No signal

What would change the score

  • Would score about 65 if added to CISA KEV
  • Would score about 60 if CISA's SSVC rates exploitation active
  • Would score about 32 if advisories confirm default setups are exposed

What to do

  • Upgrade to a fixed version: 10.0.0-M1.

Check your systems with an agent

Paste this into a coding or ops agent. It checks your systems read-only and reports a table per asset.

Check whether my systems are affected by CVE-2026-97870 (Apache TomEE: Missing authentication for Hessian endpoints in embedded HTTP server), using the cve.now data below.

Rules: work read-only. Do not run exploit code, proof-of-concept scripts or scanners that send attack payloads, and do not change any configuration, package, image or deployment. Report findings only.

What cve.now has for CVE-2026-97870 (entry last updated 2026-11-10):
Affected:
- Maven package org.apache.openejb:openejb-hessian: from 4.6.0, through 4.7.5
- Maven package org.apache.tomee:openejb-hessian: from 7.0.0-M1, fixed in 10.0.0-M1; from 10.0.0-M1, through 10.2.0
Fixed versions: 10.0.0-M1.
Setup: unknown whether the bug needs a non-default feature or setting. Check the advisory.
CISA KEV: CVE-2026-97870 is not listed as of cve.now's last read.
This KEV status is for CVE-2026-97870 only. If you also check another CVE, look up its own KEV status; never assume it from this one.

How to check:
- Packages (Maven): find every lockfile in each project and run check_stack from the cve.now MCP server on each one. Compare the resolved versions, not the ranges a manifest declares, with the affected versions above. Include transitive dependencies.

Verify against the linked advisories before concluding, and cite the date you read each one:
- https://lists.apache.org/thread/hvggn9r4nod9yrww9qrz5vttcrcvomhz
Do not conclude an asset is unaffected unless you checked it and the evidence covers both its version and the conditions above. If you could not check something, mark it unknown and say what is missing.

Report a table with one row per asset and these columns: Asset | Version or build | Status (affected, fixed, not applicable, unknown) | Compensating controls | Exposure (internet-facing, internal, none) | Evidence | Next action.

Entry: https://cve.now/CVE-2026-97870
For follow-up questions, use the cve.now MCP server at https://mcp.cve.now/mcp (no authentication), for example get_vulnerability with id CVE-2026-97870.

Timeline

  1. CVE published
  2. First seen by cve.now

Affected versions

Evidence 3

Vendor advisory · 1

Establishes: Affected and fixed versions.

  1. Advisory

CVE record · 2

Establishes: The identifier and description.

  1. Record
  2. Record

Corrections

None so far.

Something wrong on this page? Report an error. Every fix is listed here.

Questions about CVE-2026-97870

Is CVE-2026-97870 being exploited?

It is not in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and CISA's SSVC assessment does not mark exploitation as active. That does not mean it has not been attacked: vendors and researchers can report attacks before CISA lists them. No public exploit code is tracked.Source: cve.now feed data

Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-97870?

org.apache.openejb:openejb-hessian (Maven): from 4.6.0 through 4.7.5. org.apache.tomee:openejb-hessian (Maven): from 7.0.0-M1 before 10.0.0-M1; from 10.0.0-M1 through 10.2.0.Source: cve.now feed data

How do I fix CVE-2026-97870?

Upgrade to a fixed version: 10.0.0-M1.Source: cve.now feed data