ForgeRock Access Management (AM) Core Server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (CVE-2021-35464)

What is affected, what to do

This CVE describes a remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability in ForgeRock Access Management (AM) Core Server, exploitable by sending a specially crafted HTTP request to specific endpoints. An attacker can execute code as the current user without authentication, leading to full control over the affected instance. The vulnerability is actively exploited in ransomware campaigns since 2021 and is listed in the CISA KEV catalog. Affected are versions up to 7.0 of ForgeRock AM, and an immediate update to the latest version is strongly recommended to mitigate the risk.

The vulnerability is being actively exploited; treat it as a priority. CISA lists it as used in ransomware campaigns. Update ForgeRock Access Management to version 6.5.4, ForgeRock OpenAM to version 14.6.3. Immediate actions, mitigation and detection rules are in the runbook below.

Affected

• ForgeRock Access Management lt *..6.5.4
• ForgeRock OpenAM lt 9.0.0..14.6.3

Fixed in

• ForgeRock Access Management 6.5.4
• ForgeRock OpenAM 14.6.3

Not sure whether and how you are affected? Ask a question about this vulnerability

Metrics

Response and mitigation

1. 01

   Runbook step 1

   Immediate response (0-24 h)

   • Upgrade to ForgeRock AM 7.0 or later; for legacy OpenAM 13.x/14.x request the vendor hotfix (ForgeRock Security Advisory 202104). All AM 6.5.4 and OpenAM 9.0.0–14.6.3 builds are affected.
   • As an immediate workaround, block the three vulnerable endpoints at your reverse proxy or WAF: /ccversion/Version, /ccversion/Masthead, /ccversion/ButtonFrame. Legitimate end-users never hit these paths.
   • Additionally disable the VersionServlet mappings in the AM container's web.xml and restart the service; this kills the attack surface even if the paths are reached directly.
   • Remove AM instances from direct internet exposure until patch and workaround are in place — access only via VPN or an authenticated reverse proxy with an allowlist on required SSO/OAuth paths (/openam/json/, /openam/oauth2/, /openam/UI/Login).
   • Verify the service account: AM must not run as root (vendor recommendation). If it does, move it to an unprivileged user immediately to limit RCE blast radius.
   • Assume compromise where the host was internet-reachable: rotate admin credentials, OAuth client secrets, SAML signing keys and keystore passwords; invalidate active sessions; preserve 90 days of access logs for /ccversion/* requests for forensic review.
2. 02

   Runbook step 2

   Mitigation layers

   • WAF / reverse proxy (nginx, Apache, F5, Cloudflare): hard-deny URI patterns ^/.*ccversion/(Version|Masthead|ButtonFrame) and any GET/POST carrying a jato.pageSession parameter, regardless of context path.
   • Network segmentation: restrict AM management interfaces (admin console, JMX, container admin ports 4848/8080/8443) to dedicated admin VLANs; enforce strict egress from AM hosts to known LDAP/DB/SMTP destinations only, to break reverse-shell callbacks.
   • Harden Java deserialisation: set JVM flag -Djdk.serialFilter with a blocklist on sun.*,com.iplanet.*,com.sun.identity.* where the container supports it; alternatively remove jato libraries from the classpath if not functionally required.
   • Endpoint hardening: deploy an AppArmor/SELinux profile for the AM container process that denies execve of /bin/sh, curl, wget, python, perl; this defeats off-the-shelf RCE payloads.
   • IAM / least privilege: the AM service account must have no sudo rights, no write access to startup scripts, and no visibility into other keystores on the host.
   • Enable IPS signatures (Suricata/Snort ET ruleset has coverage for CVE-2021-35464 since July 2021); equivalent coverage exists in Palo Alto Threat-ID 91277 and Trellix/McAfee NSP ForgeRock JATO deserialisation signature.
3. 03

   Runbook step 3

   Detection rules

   • Access logs (nginx/Apache/Tomcat): alert on any request to */ccversion/Version*, */ccversion/Masthead*, */ccversion/ButtonFrame*, especially carrying jato.pageSession= in query or body. Pattern: uri_path matches "/ccversion/(Version|Masthead|ButtonFrame)".
   • Sigma shape: detection: selection: cs-uri-stem|contains: '/ccversion/' AND (cs-uri-query|contains: 'jato.pageSession' OR cs-method: 'POST') — severity high.
   • Process telemetry (Sysmon EID 1 / Linux auditd execve): child processes of the AM/Tomcat/Jetty JVM spawning sh, bash, curl, wget, nc, python, base64 — the canonical post-deserialisation chain.
   • Network (Zeek/Suricata): outbound connections from AM hosts to non-approved destinations/ports, especially new DNS lookups for Pastebin, raw.githubusercontent, transfer.sh, and reverse shells on high ports.
   • KQL (Defender for Endpoint): DeviceProcessEvents | where InitiatingProcessFileName in~ ("java","java.exe") and FileName in~ ("sh","bash","cmd.exe","powershell.exe","curl","wget") | where InitiatingProcessCommandLine has_any ("openam","forgerock","amserver").
   • File-integrity monitoring on the AM config directory (~/openam/, /path/to/AM/) and webroot — any new .jsp/.class file or modified web.xml is an incident.

Detection rules

No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.

Classification under NIS2 and CRA

Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.

NIS2

NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.

Read in glossary

Actively exploited: treat the vulnerability as a priority in vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2. If it is exploited in your environment, check the reporting obligation under Art. 23 (early warning within 24 hours).

CRA

The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.

Read in glossary

Since 11.09.2026, manufacturers of affected products with digital elements must report actively exploited vulnerabilities under Art. 14 CRA, with an early warning within 24 hours via ENISA's single reporting platform.

ISO/IEC 27001

ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.

Read in glossary

Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.

Description

ForgeRock AM server before 7.0 has a Java deserialization vulnerability in the jato.pageSession parameter on multiple pages. The exploitation does not require authentication, and remote code execution can be triggered by sending a single crafted /ccversion/* request to the server. The vulnerability exists due to the usage of Sun ONE Application Framework (JATO) found in versions of Java 8 or earlier

Source: NVD (NIST), cvelistv5, CISA KEV Catalog, CVE.org (MITRE)

Vendors and products

• ForgeRock ForgeRock Access Management
• ForgeRock ForgeRock OpenAM

References & sources

• bugster.forgerock.orgx_refsource_MISC, Broken link
• packetstormsecurity.comfiles/163486/ForgeRock-OpenAM-Jato-Java-Deserialization.htmlx_refsource_MISC, Exploit, Third-party advisory, Vulnerability database
• packetstormsecurity.comfiles/163525/ForgeRock-Access-Manager-OpenAM-14.6.3-Remote-Code…x_refsource_MISC, Exploit, Third-party advisory, Vulnerability database
• backstage.forgerock.comknowledge/kb/article/a47894244x_refsource_CONFIRM, Exploit, Permissions required, Vendor advisory
• cisa.govknown-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2021-35464government-resource, US government resource