Security Digest · Vulnerability record
CVE-2023-45146: XXL-RPC Deserialization of Untrusted Data vulnerability
XXL-RPC is a high performance, distributed RPC framework.
CVSS 9.5 Critical EPSS 1.3% · p69
Should you act?
Critical and remotely reachable
No known exploitation yet, but it is network-reachable without credentials. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.
- Not in CISA KEV, but CISA’s SSVC assessment records a public proof-of-concept, so attack code exists.
- EPSS 1.3%, percentile 69: FIRST’s model estimates a 1.3% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 69% of all scored CVEs (moderate). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Remotely reachable with no login and no user interaction. If the vulnerable service is exposed to the internet, prioritize it.
- Only applies if your dependency tree includes
com.xuxueli:xxl-rpc-core(Maven) <= 1.7.0, no fixed version listed. Check your lockfile, including transitive dependencies.
What it is
XXL-RPC is a high performance, distributed RPC framework. With it, a TCP server can be set up using the Netty framework and the Hessian serialization mechanism. When such a configuration is used, attackers may be able to connect to the server and provide malicious serialized objects that, once deserialized, force it to execute arbitrary code. This can be abused to take control of the machine the server is running by way of remote code execution. This issue has not been fixed.
From the GitHub advisory
XXL-RPC is a high performance, distributed RPC framework. With it, a TCP server can be set up using the Netty framework and the Hessian serialization mechanism. When such a configuration is used, attackers may be able to connect to the server and provide malicious serialized objects that, once deserialized, force it to execute arbitrary code. This can be abused to take control of the machine the server is running by way of remote code execution. This issue has not been fixed.
Weakness type: CWE-502.
Product: com.xuxueli:xxl-rpc-core (Maven) · Assigned by: GitHub_M · Published: 2023-10-18
Affected and fixed versions
| Ecosystem | Package | Vulnerable | First fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maven | com.xuxueli:xxl-rpc-core | <= 1.7.0 | none listed |
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions (per CVE record) |
|---|---|---|
| xuexueli | xxl-rpc | <= 1.7.0 |
Severity scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub_M | 3.1 | 9.1 Critical | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| GitHub | 4.0 | 9.5 | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:P/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:H/SI:H/SA:H |
- Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
- Attack complexity: low
- Attack requirements: present (depends on deployment conditions)
- Privileges required: none (no login)
- User interaction: none
CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.
Exploitation and urgency
- CISA KEV: not listed (no confirmed in-the-wild exploitation known to CISA).
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation poc, automatable no, technical impact total.
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 1.26% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 69.
Timeline
- — CVE record published by GitHub_M
- — GitHub-reviewed advisory GHSA-f984-3wx8-grp9 published (critical)
- — CVE record last updated
Sources and references
Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.
Vulnerability records
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-f984-3wx8-grp9 github.com
- CVE.org record CVE-2023-45146 cve.org
- NVD entry CVE-2023-45146 nvd.nist.gov
Other references from the CVE record and advisory
- securitylab.github.com securitylab.github.com
- vicarius.io vicarius.io
- github.com github.com