CVE-2016-5003

Exp

The Apache XML-RPC (aka ws-xmlrpc) library 3.1.3, as used in Apache Archiva, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted serialized Java object in an <ex:serializable> element.

Published: 2017-10-27 Last update: 2026-05-13 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2016-5003 is rated High Exploit Risk (89.6/100): CVSS Critical severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 41.52%, 97th percentile). 1 public exploit reference(s) are indexed (Exploit-DB). EPSS rose +1.38% over the last day, indicating growing attacker interest. Public exploits are available—assess exposure, apply mitigations, and prioritize patching.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Public exploit references (Exploit-DB) for CVE-2016-5003

EDB-ID Source Kind Published Link
— nvd_ref exploit_tag Exploit-DB ↗

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2016-5003

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2025-12-03 40.15% 41.52% +1.38%
2 2025-08-25 38.51% 40.15% +1.63%
3 2025-05-31 — 38.51% —

Full EPSS history (22 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2016-5003

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
9.8 3.0 CRITICAL
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 3.9 5.9 [email protected]
7.5 2.0 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:P)
Partial confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:P)
Partial integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:P)
Partial availability impact.
 10.0 6.4 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2016-5003

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2016-5003

GHSA-4gqp-296r-j5mq · Severity: critical · Ecosystem: maven — Apache XML-RPC vulnerable to Deserialization of Untrusted Data

OS Trackers for CVE-2016-5003

vendor priority summary link
gentoo normal CVE-2016-5003: 1 GLSA(s) (202401-26), 1 atom(s) (dev-java/xmlrpc); latest impact normal. https://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?quicksearch=CVE-2016-5003
redhat high — https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-5003

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2016-5003

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
apache ws-xmlrpc 3.1.3 cpe:2.3:a:apache:ws-xmlrpc:3.1.3:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2016-5003

URL Tags
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/07/12/5 Mailing List Third Party Advisory
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2020/01/16/1
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2020/01/24/2
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/91736 Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/91738 Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1036294 Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://0ang3el.blogspot.ru/2016/07/beware-of-ws-xmlrpc-library-in-your.html Exploit Third Party Advisory
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:1779
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:1780
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:1784
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2317
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:3768
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/115043 Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202401-26
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