Man-in-the-middle attack in Apache Cassandra

Exploitation

No confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next marks exploitation only from CISA KEV.

CVSS

5.9 · CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

EPSS

• CVE-2020-13946: 2.95% estimated exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 87.19 (FIRST EPSS, 2026-11-03). This is a model estimate, not proof of exploitation or customer exposure.

As published by the source; long descriptions are shortened.

In Apache Cassandra, all versions prior to 2.1.22, 2.2.18, 3.0.22, 3.11.8 and 4.0-beta2, it is possible for a local attacker without access to the Apache Cassandra process or configuration files to manipulate the RMI registry to perform a man-in-the-middle attack and capture user names and passwords used to access the JMX interface. The attacker can then use these credentials to access the JMX interface and perform unauthorised operations. Users should also be aware of CVE-2019-2684, a JRE vulnerability that enables this issue to be exploited remotely.

Published by the source

7 May 2021, 15:54 UTC

Last modified by the source

1 Feb 2023, 05:05 UTC

Source last checked

26 Oct 2026, 16:06 UTC

1. Revision 1 · created · 26 Oct 2026

   Published from ghsa record GHSA-24ww-mc5x-xc43

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# Patch Next advisory brief: CVE-2020-13946

Advisory: Man-in-the-middle attack in Apache Cassandra
IDs: CVE-2020-13946, GHSA-24ww-mc5x-xc43
Record: https://patchnext.com/advisories/cve-2020-13946 (revision 1, source checked 26 Oct 2026, 16:06 UTC)
Inventory: none attached. This brief comes from a public page and does not say whether any deployment is affected.
Severity: Medium (CVSS 5.9)
Exploitation: no confirmed exploitation recorded. Patch Next confirms exploitation only from CISA KEV.
Vendor response: Vendor fix available; fixed versions by package: org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all 4.0-beta2, 3.11.8, 3.0.22, 2.2.18, 2.1.12. A vendor fix does not mean a deployment is fixed.

## Affected components
- Maven org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all: affected >= 2.1.0, < 2.1.12; >= 2.2.0, < 2.2.18; >= 3.0.0, < 3.0.22; >= 3.11.0, < 3.11.8; >= 4.0-beta1, <= 4.0-beta1; fixed in 2.1.12, 2.2.18, 3.11.8, 3.0.22, 4.0-beta2

## Suggested inspection (read-only)
- Maven org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all: check the installed version with your package manager.

## Supported action
Upgrade each affected component to a fixed version on its release line. For a transitive dependency, upgrade the parent package or add an override or constraint, then regenerate the lockfile. Redeploy every environment that ran an affected version.

## Required regression checks
- Run the test suite and a production build.
- Exercise the features that depend on org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all.
- Repeat the inspection and confirm that only fixed versions remain installed.

## Rollback considerations
- Keep the previous lockfile and deployment artifact. Rolling back reinstates the vulnerable version, so apply any documented mitigation while you fix forward.

## Unresolved questions
- Which deployments run an affected version?
- Exploitation status can change. Check again before lowering the priority.
- Mark the work resolved only after the fixed version is verified in production.

## Sources
- Verified: https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-24ww-mc5x-xc43 (GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-24ww-mc5x-xc43 lists affected ranges: Maven org.apache.cassandra:cassandra-all >=2.1.0 =2.2.0 =3.0.0 =3.11.0 =4.0-beta1 <=4.0-beta1)

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