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Database ServerDatabase / datastore · Oracle

CVE-2009-1985

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2009-10-22
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Unspecified vulnerability in the Network Authentication component in Oracle Database 9.2.0.8, 9.2.0.8DV, 10.1.0.5, and 10.2.0.4 allows remote attackers to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability via unknown vectors.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

Unspecified vulnerability in Oracle Database's Network Authentication component affecting versions 9.2.0.8 through 10.2.0.4. The critical CVSS 10 score indicates a severe flaw allowing remote attackers full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability, likely involving authentication bypass or credential exposure in the network authentication layer, though specific technical vectors are not disclosed.

MitigationApply Oracle Critical Patch Update (CPU) patches for this vulnerability or upgrade to a supported Oracle Database version. For legacy 9i/10g systems, consider migration to supported versions as patching options may be limited.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Database ServerDatabase / datastore
Affected:= 9.2.0.8= 9.2.0.8dv= 10.1.0.5= 10.2.0.4

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Oracle Database version
    Connect to the database as a privileged user (e.g., SYSDBA) and run: SELECT * FROM v$version; or query the PRODUCT_COMPONENT_VERSION view.
    Affected if The version shown matches 9.2.0.8, 9.2.0.8dv, 10.1.0.5, or 10.2.0.4 exactly.
  2. Confirm full version string
    Run: SELECT banner FROM v$version WHERE banner LIKE 'Oracle Database%'; to get the complete version identifier.
    Affected if The displayed version string is exactly one of: Oracle Database 9.2.0.8, Oracle Database 9.2.0.8dv, Oracle Database 10.1.0.5, or Oracle Database 10.2.0.4.
  3. Verify Network Authentication component is in use
    Check if Oracle Net (SQL*Net) listeners and network authentication services are configured. Query: SELECT username, password, authentication_type FROM dba_users; and review sqlnet.ora and listener.ora configuration files.
    Affected if The database accepts remote network connections using Oracle Net and uses network-based authentication mechanisms (e.g., Kerberos, RADIUS, or external authentication).

You are affected if your installed Oracle Database version is exactly 9.2.0.8, 9.2.0.8dv, 10.1.0.5, or 10.2.0.4 and accepts remote network connections through Oracle Net authentication services.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Oracle Critical Patch Update (CPU) patches for this vulnerability or upgrade to a supported Oracle Database version. For legacy 9i/10g systems, consider migration to supported versions as patching options may be limited.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Upgrade to Oracle Database 19c or newer (21c/23c). For interim steps, Oracle 11g R2 or 12c may be used if supported by Oracle at the time of planning.

  1. 1. Identify all Oracle Database installations running versions 9.2.0.8, 9.2.0.8DV, 10.1.0.5, or 10.2.0.4 in your environment.
  2. 2. Plan migration to a currently supported Oracle Database version (19c or higher recommended). Oracle 9i and 10g are no longer supported by Oracle.
  3. 3. Prior to migration, apply network segmentation or restrict Oracle listener access to trusted networks only as a compensating control.
  4. 4. If staying on Oracle 10g/11g is temporarily necessary, apply all available Oracle Critical Patch Updates (CPUs) from Oracle to address this and other vulnerabilities.
  5. 5. Test the upgrade in a non-production environment before deploying to production.
  6. 6. After upgrade, verify the Network Authentication component functions correctly with your applications.
Caveat Major version upgrades may require application compatibility testing and SQL changes. Older Oracle 9i/10g features deprecated or removed in 11g+ may cause compatibility issues.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Database Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2009-1985 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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