How severe is CVE-2018-8016?

CVE-2018-8016 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2018-8016 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2018-8016?

CVE-2018-8016 affects Apache Cassandra. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2018-8016?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2018-8016 published?

CVE-2018-8016 was published on 2018-06-28 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2018-8016

CVE-2018-8016 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Apache Cassandra with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-306.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 2% (81st percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-306
Affected product: Apache Cassandra
Published: 2018-06-28
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

The default configuration in Apache Cassandra 3.8 through 3.11.1 binds an unauthenticated JMX/RMI interface to all network interfaces, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary Java code via an RMI request. This issue is a regression of CVE-2015-0225. The regression was introduced in https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/CASSANDRA-12109. The fix for the regression is implemented in https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/CASSANDRA-14173. This fix is contained in the 3.11.2 release of Apache Cassandra.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2018-8016?: The default configuration in Apache Cassandra 3.8 through 3.11.1 binds an unauthenticated JMX/RMI interface to all network interfaces, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary Java code via an RMI request. This issue is a regression of CVE-2015-0225. The regression was introduced in https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/CASSANDRA-12109. The fix for the regression is implemented in https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/CASSANDRA-14173. This fix is contained in the 3.11.2 release of Apache Cassandra.
How severe is CVE-2018-8016?: CVE-2018-8016 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2018-8016 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 2% (81st percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2018-8016?: CVE-2018-8016 affects Apache Cassandra. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2018-8016?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2018-8016 published?: CVE-2018-8016 was published on 2018-06-28 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

https://lists.apache.org/thread.html/bafb9060bbdf958a1c15ba66c68531116fba4a83858a2796254da066%40%3Cuser.cassandra.apache.org%3E

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:apache:cassandra:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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