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GHSA-wg5r-wc3x-39vc

CriticalCVSS 9.8 / 10
Published Jul 24, 2026·Last modified Aug 3, 2026
Affected Components(1)
Maven logoorg.openidentityplatform.openam/openam-core
< 16.1.2
Description

Summary

A pre-authentication remote code execution vulnerability affects OpenAM. The remote authentication endpoint (/authservice, PLL) accepts an XML element that names an arbitrary Java class, which the server then loads and instantiates without validation. On a default configuration this is reachable without authentication and allows an attacker to run code on the server.

Impact

Unauthenticated remote code execution / full server compromise on any OpenAM instance with default settings.

Affected

All releases up to and including 16.1.1 (the defect predates the Open Identity Platform fork).

Remediation

Upgrade to 16.1.2. The fix resolves the class named in a <CustomCallback> element without running its static initialisers and rejects it unless it implements DSAMECallbackInterface, and it constrains deserialisation of the serialised Subject value to a class allowlist.

Interim mitigation

If you cannot upgrade immediately:

  • Restrict or block external network access to /authservice. This is the only reliable mitigation.
  • Optionally, block PLL requests carrying a <CustomCallback className="..."> element at the reverse proxy or WAF. That element is only produced for custom DSAMECallbackInterface callbacks, so most deployments never send it — confirm against your own traffic before enforcing.
  • Enabling sunRemoteAuthSecurityEnabled does not mitigate this issue. The remote-auth security token is checked in AuthXMLHandler.processAuthXMLRequest, which runs only after AuthXMLRequest.parseXML has already parsed the request and instantiated the class named in the <CustomCallback className="..."> element. Do not rely on it as a substitute for upgrading or for network restriction.

Credit

Vulnerability discovered by Zhixi "Jace" Sun of ASM/VI at TikTok. Correction of the interim mitigation guidance contributed by @BarakSrour.

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Risk Scores
Base Score
9.8

The vulnerability can be exploited over the network without needing physical access. It is easy for an attacker to exploit this vulnerability. An attacker does not need any special privileges or access rights. No user interaction is needed for the attacker to exploit this vulnerability. The impact is confined to the system where the vulnerability exists. There is a high impact on the confidentiality of the information. There is a high impact on the integrity of the data. There is a high impact on the availability of the system.

Threat Intelligence
9.0

Active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. Immediate patching or mitigation is required.

EPSS
1.07%

The exploit probability is very low. The vulnerability is unlikely to be exploited in the next 30 days.

Exploit
Not available

We did not find any exploit available. Neither in GitHub repositories nor in the Exploit-Database.

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