CVE-2026-33701
OpenTelemetry: Unsafe Deserialization in RMI Instrumentation may Lead to Remote Code Execution
- 9.3CriticalCVSS base score
- 0.94%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 39% of all CVEs
- NoKnown exploitednot in CISA's KEV catalog
- NonePublic exploitsnone known yet
Description
OpenTelemetry Java Instrumentation provides OpenTelemetry auto-instrumentation and instrumentation libraries for Java. In versions prior to 2.26.1, the RMI instrumentation registered a custom endpoint that deserialized incoming data without applying serialization filters. On JDK version 16 and earlier, 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: First, OpenTelemetry Java instrumentation is attached as a Java agent (`-javaagent`) on Java 16 or earlier. Second, JMX/RMI port has been explicitly configured via `-Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.port` and is network-reachable. Third, gadget-chain-compatible library is present on the classpath. This results in arbitrary remote code execution with the privileges of the user running the instrumented JVM. For JDK >= 17, no action is required, but upgrading is strongly encouraged. For JDK < 17, upgrade to version 2.26.1 or later. As a workaround, set the system property `-Dotel.instrumentation.rmi.enabled=false` to disable the RMI integration.
Timeline
ID reserved
By GitHub_M
- 4 days later
· 4 days later
Published
- 5 months later
· 5 months later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub_MCNA (assigner) | 4.0 | Critical9.3 | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N |
| redhat-SADPADP (enrichment) | 3.1 | High8.1 | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| NVDNVD · Modified | 4.0 | Critical9.3 | CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:X/CR:X/IR:X/AR:X/MAV:X/MAC:X/MAT:X/MPR:X/MUI:X/MVC:X/MVI:X/MVA:X/MSC:X/MSI:X/MSA:X/S:X/AU:X/R:X/V:X/RE:X/U:X |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 0.94% · top 39% of all CVEs (11 Nov 2026)
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation: none · Automatable: yes · Technical impact: total
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: Critical 9.3.
Affected products
open-telemetry · opentelemetry-java-instrumentation
- affected < 2.26.1
Affected packages
From reviewed advisories of the GitHub Advisory Database.
- Mavenio.opentelemetry.javaagent:opentelemetry-javaagentGHSA-xw7x-h9fj-p2c7 (opens in a new tab)
References
References6
- https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-java-instrumentation/security/advisories/GHSA-xw7x-h9fj-p2c7 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_CONFIRM
- https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-java-instrumentation/commit/9cf4fbaaa9e79226142b2ed42a6f6b4ac0be2197 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISC
- https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-java-instrumentation/releases/tag/v2.26.1 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISC
- https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2026-33701 (opens in a new tab)vdb-entryx_refsource_REDHAT
- RHBZ#2452071 (opens in a new tab)issue-trackingx_refsource_REDHAT
- https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2026/cve-2026-33701.json (opens in a new tab)x_sadp-csaf-vex
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2026-16498 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisory GHSA-xw7x-h9fj-p2c7 (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2026-33701)Record last updated .