Loading...
Skip to main content

CVE-2026-33701 — OpenTelemetry: Unsafe Deserialization in...

CRITICAL

OpenTelemetry: Unsafe Deserialization in RMI Instrumentation may Lead to Remote Code Execution

Published March 25, 2026Updated July 29, 2026Source: osv

Summary

In versions prior to 2.26.1, the RMI instrumentation registered a custom endpoint that deserialized incoming data without applying serialization filters. An attacker with network access to a JMX or RMI port on an instrumented JVM could exploit this to potentially achieve remote code execution. All three of the following conditions must be true to exploit this vulnerability: 1. OpenTelemetry Java instrumentation is attached as a Java agent (`-javaagent`) 2. An RMI endpoint is network-reachable (e.g. JMX remote port, an RMI registry, or any application-exported RMI service) 3. A gadget-chain-compatible library is present on the classpath ### Impact Arbitrary remote code execution with the privileges of the user running the instrumented JVM. ### Recommendation Upgrade to version 2.26.1 or later. ### Workarounds Set the following system property to disable the RMI integration: ``` -Dotel.instrumentation.rmi.enabled=false ``` ### Credits This vulnerability was responsibly disclosed in coordination with Datadog.

Advisory Timeline

  • First published March 25, 2026 (201 days ago).
  • Last revised July 29, 2026 — 126 days after initial publication.

Remediation

Upgrade to the fixed version using your package manager.

Maven
Update io.opentelemetry.javaagent:opentelemetry-javaagent to 2.26.1 or later
<!-- Update pom.xml dependency version to 2.26.1 for io.opentelemetry.javaagent:opentelemetry-javaagent -->

After upgrading, run your dependency scanner again to confirm the vulnerability is resolved.

Affected Packages (1)

Affects 1 ecosystem: maven (1).

PackageEcosystemAffectedFixed In
io.opentelemetry.javaagent:opentelemetry-javaagent
maven
0.12.0, 0.12.1, 0.13.0, 0.13.1 (+102 more)2.26.1

Vulnerability Classification

Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) identifiers for this vulnerability type.

  • CWE-502
    Deserialization of Untrusted DataMITRE

CVSS Score Breakdown

What the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) 9.8 score means for each attack dimension.

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2026-33701?
OpenTelemetry: Unsafe Deserialization in RMI Instrumentation may Lead to Remote Code Execution This vulnerability has been assigned a severity rating of CRITICAL (CVSS score: 9.8/10).
How do I check if my project is affected by CVE-2026-33701?
CVE-2026-33701 affects io.opentelemetry.javaagent:opentelemetry-javaagent. Use GeekWala's free vulnerability scanner to check your dependencies against CVE-2026-33701 and 200,000+ other known vulnerabilities.

Severity & Exploitability

CVSS Score
9.8

Exploitation is straightforward and causes maximum impact. Patch immediately.

Also Known As

GHSA-xw7x-h9fj-p2c7

Related CVEs

Check if you're affected

Scan your dependencies to see if this vulnerability affects your projects.

Scan Your Dependencies