# CVE-2012-4549: Missing authorization in Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 6 for RHEL 5

> Attackers can bypass access restrictions on EJB methods due to improper authorization logic when no roles are defined, leading to unauthorized access.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 5 Jan 2013
- **Updated:** 14 May 2026
- **Also known as:** GHSA-4crg-m9w3-g9fc

## What is CVE-2012-4549?

CVE-2012-4549 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Redhat Jboss Enterprise Application Platform, published on 5 Jan 2013. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A flaw was found in JBoss Enterprise Application Platform. The `processInvocation` function within the `org.jboss.as.ejb3.security.AuthorizationInterceptor` component incorrectly authorizes all requests when no roles are defined for an Enterprise Java Beans (EJB) method invocation. This allows attackers to bypass intended access restrictions for EJB methods, leading to unauthorized access to sensitive functionalities.

Weakness: CWE-264, CWE-266 (Incorrect Privilege Assignment)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2012-4549?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Redhat Jboss Enterprise Application Platform.

## How do I fix CVE-2012-4549?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2012-4549 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-4549 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Redhat Jboss Enterprise Application Platform

- [CVE-2017-12149](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-12149/): Red Hat JBoss Application Server Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2010-1428](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-1428/): Red Hat JBoss Information Disclosure (medium 5.9, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2010-0738](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-0738/): Red Hat JBoss Authentication Bypass (low 3.7, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2016-3690](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2016-3690/): Deserialization in n/a (critical 9.8)
- [CVE-2017-7504](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-7504/): Deserialization in JBoss (critical 9.8)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2012-4549 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2012-4549 is a medium-severity missing authorization vulnerability in Redhat Jboss Enterprise Application Platform, published on 5 Jan 2013. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-4549 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Redhat Jboss Enterprise Application Platform. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-4549/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-4549/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2012-4549
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-4549
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2012-4549

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-4549/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.