Detect Apache ActiveMQ Improper Input Validation (CVE-2026-34197) in Elastic Security
Detects exploitation of CVE-2026-34197, an improper input validation vulnerability (CWE-20/CWE-94) in Apache ActiveMQ that has been added to the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Successful exploitation may allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or inject malicious content via crafted messages or broker connections. ActiveMQ's OpenWire protocol and web console are common attack surfaces for this class of vulnerability.
MITRE ATT&CK
- Tactic
- Initial Access Execution Persistence
Elastic Detection Query
sequence by host.name with maxspan=5m
[network where event.action in ("connection_attempted", "connection_accepted") and
(destination.port in (61616, 61617, 8161, 8162, 5672, 1883, 61613) or
source.port in (61616, 61617, 8161, 8162, 5672, 1883, 61613)) and
not source.ip in ("127.0.0.1", "::1")]
[process where event.type == "start" and
(process.parent.name in ("java", "activemq", "activemq.bat", "wrapper") or
process.parent.executable like~ "*activemq*") and
process.name in ("cmd.exe", "powershell.exe", "bash", "sh", "dash", "wget", "curl", "nc", "ncat", "python", "python3", "perl") and
not process.args_count == 0]EQL sequence detection correlating ActiveMQ network connections followed within 5 minutes by anomalous child process spawning from Java or ActiveMQ parent processes, indicating CVE-2026-34197 post-exploitation activity.
Data Sources
Required Tables
False Positives & Tuning
- Authorized remote management sessions that legitimately spawn shell processes
- ActiveMQ startup or shutdown scripts that invoke shell utilities
- Integration middleware that triggers scripted workflows via ActiveMQ message consumption
Other platforms for CVE-2026-34197
Testing Methodology
Validate this detection against 3 adversary techniques from Atomic Red Team. Each test below lists the behaviour to exercise and the telemetry you should expect to see. Executable commands and cleanup steps are available with Pro.
- Test 1ActiveMQ OpenWire Port Probe with Malicious Payload Pattern
Expected signal: Network connection event to port 61616 from non-standard source; payload content containing 'ClassPathXmlApplicationContext' visible in network capture or IDS alerts
- Test 2Simulated Post-Exploitation Shell Spawn from Java Process
Expected signal: Sysmon Event ID 1 or Linux audit execve showing bash/sh spawned with parent process containing 'java' in the image path; process command line containing 'id', 'hostname', or 'whoami'
- Test 3ActiveMQ Web Console Access with Path Traversal Attempt
Expected signal: HTTP access log entries on port 8161 containing '../' path sequences and 'ClassPathXmlApplicationContext' in request body or destination parameter; network connection events to port 8161 from unexpected source
Unlock Pro Content
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