CVE-2023-26269 | Apache James server: Privilege escalation through unauthenticated JMX

Apache James server version 3.7.3 and earlier provides a JMX management service without authentication by default. This allows privilege escalation by a malicious local user. Administrators are advised to disable JMX, or set up a JMX password. Note that version 3.7.4 onward will set up a JMX password automatically for Guice users.

Published: 2023-04-03 Last update: 2025-02-13 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2023-26269 is rated Moderate Risk (58.8/100): CVSS High severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 1.16%). Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

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

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2023-26269

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 2026-04-21 1.04% 1.16% +0.12%
2 2026-03-25 1.35% 1.04% -0.31%
3 2026-01-28 — 1.35% —

Full EPSS history (22 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-26269

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.8 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
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:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
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.
 1.8 5.9 [email protected]
7.8 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
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:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
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.
 1.8 5.9 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-26269

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2023-26269

GHSA-w7r6-v4j7-h94w · Severity: high · Ecosystem: maven — Apache James server's JMX management service vulnerable to privilege escalation by local user

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-26269

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
apache james < 3.7.4 cpe:2.3:a:apache:james:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-26269

cvelogic Threat Intelligence