Security researchers have raised alarm over the discovery of daily scans targeting Apache RocketMQ services, aiming to exploit critical vulnerabilities in remote command execution (CVE-2023-33246 and CVE-2023-37582). Despite a patch released by Apache in May 2023, the vulnerabilities persist, specifically affecting the NameServer component in RocketMQ versions 5.1 and older.
Exploiting these flaws allows attackers to execute commands by leveraging the update configuration function on the exposed NameServer without proper permission checks. The severity of the threat is emphasized by the continuous scanning activity, with hundreds of IP addresses attempting to exploit these vulnerabilities, posing risks to organizations using RocketMQ.
The remote command execution vulnerability (CVE-2023-33246) in Apache RocketMQ’s NameServer component was inadequately addressed in the initial patch, leading to the persistence of the security issue. This flaw, now identified as CVE-2023-37582, allows attackers to execute commands as system users by exploiting the update configuration function when exposed NameServer addresses lack proper permission verification.
To mitigate these risks, security experts recommend upgrading the NameServer to version 5.1.2/4.9.7 or higher for RocketMQ 5.x/4.x. The ongoing scans for exposed RocketMQ systems indicate an active threat landscape, with potential attackers or researchers attempting to identify vulnerable endpoints.
The ShadowServer Foundation, a threat tracking platform, has recorded numerous hosts scanning for RocketMQ systems online, some attempting to exploit the identified vulnerabilities. This scanning activity, observed since at least August 2023, aligns with reports of hackers targeting vulnerable Apache RocketMQ systems, as evidenced by the DreamBus botnet leveraging a CVE-2023-33246 exploit to drop XMRig Monero miners on compromised servers. Recognizing the severity of the situation, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a warning in September 2023, urging federal agencies to patch the vulnerabilities actively exploited in the wild.
