CVE-2025-4057 in AMQ Broker
Summary
by MITRE • 05/26/2025
A flaw was found in ActiveMQ Artemis. The password generated by activemq-artemis-operator does not regenerate between separated CR dependencies.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/26/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-4057 resides within the ActiveMQ Artemis messaging system and specifically affects the activemq-artemis-operator component responsible for managing Artemis broker deployments in Kubernetes environments. This flaw represents a critical security weakness that undermines the integrity of authentication mechanisms within containerized messaging infrastructures. The issue manifests when multiple Custom Resource (CR) dependencies are separated or isolated from each other, creating a scenario where password regeneration fails to occur between these distinct deployment units.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper state management within the operator's password generation logic. When the activemq-artemis-operator creates or updates broker instances through CRD definitions, it fails to properly invalidate or regenerate authentication credentials when dependencies are separated. This creates a persistent authentication context that remains unchanged across different CR instances, effectively allowing unauthorized access through compromised credentials. The flaw operates at the application layer and can be classified under CWE-284 Access Control Issues, specifically related to improper privilege management within container orchestration environments.
The operational impact of CVE-2025-4057 extends beyond simple credential exposure, as it enables potential attackers to maintain persistent access across multiple broker instances within a single deployment. An attacker who compromises one CR dependency could potentially leverage the unchanged credentials to access other separated CR instances, effectively breaking the isolation boundaries that should exist between different messaging components. This vulnerability directly violates the principle of least privilege and can lead to data exfiltration, message tampering, or complete system compromise depending on the access controls configured. The issue is particularly dangerous in multi-tenant environments where different applications or teams rely on separate broker instances for security isolation.
Security professionals should implement immediate mitigations including manual credential rotation across all affected broker instances and configuration of strict access controls that limit operator privileges. The recommended approach involves disabling automatic password regeneration in the operator configuration and implementing manual credential management procedures. Organizations should also consider deploying network segmentation controls to limit inter-CR communication and implement monitoring solutions that can detect unauthorized credential usage patterns. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1078 Valid Accounts, as it exploits legitimate authentication mechanisms through compromised credential persistence. The fix requires updating the operator to properly handle credential regeneration during CR dependency separation events, ensuring that each new instance receives unique authentication credentials while maintaining operational efficiency.