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Websphere Application ServerApplication · Ibm

CVE-2012-3306

MEDIUM · 6.8 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-09-25
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
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
IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) 6.1 before 6.1.0.45, 7.0 before 7.0.0.25, 8.0 before 8.0.0.5, and 8.5 before 8.5.0.1, when multi-domain support is configured, does not purge password data from the authentication cache, which has unspecified impact and remote attack 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

IBM WebSphere Application Server versions 6.1, 7.0, 8.0, and 8.5 contain a flaw in the authentication cache when multi-domain support is configured. Password data is not properly purged from the cache, potentially allowing unauthorized access to cached credential information.

MitigationApply IBM WebSphere patches 6.1.0.45, 7.0.0.25, 8.0.0.5, or 8.5.0.1 and later. As a workaround, manually clear the authentication cache or disable multi-domain support until patching is complete.

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
Websphere Application ServerApplication
Affected:= 6.1.0= 6.1.0.0= 6.1.0.1= 6.1.0.2= 6.1.0.3= 6.1.0.4= 6.1.0.5= 6.1.0.7= 6.1.0.9= 6.1.0.11= 6.1.0.12= 6.1.0.15

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
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Partial
Integrity
Partial
Availability
Partial

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P

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 installed WebSphere Application Server version
    Use the versionInfo command or check the product installation directory for the version file. In a WAS installation, you can typically run 'versionInfo.sh' (Unix) or 'versionInfo.bat' (Windows) from the bin directory to get the exact version and fix pack level.
    Affected if The installed version matches any of the following: 6.1.0 through 6.1.0.15, 7.0.x, 8.0.x, or 8.5.x (prior to the patched versions 6.1.0.45, 7.0.0.25, 8.0.0.5, 8.5.0.1)
  2. Determine if multi-domain support is enabled
    Check the WebSphere administrative console under Global security settings, or inspect the security.xml configuration file for virtual host or realm configuration that indicates multiple security domains are configured.
    Affected if Multi-domain support (multiple security domains or realms) is configured in the WAS security settings
  3. Verify authentication cache exists
    Locate the authentication cache directory in the WAS temporary files or cache directory structure. The cache typically stores credential information under the temporary directory used by the application server.
    Affected if An authentication cache directory exists and contains cached credential data from user authentication sessions
  4. Confirm cache contains password-related entries
    Inspect the authentication cache files (if accessible) for entries containing password, credential, or authentication token data that persists beyond the session lifecycle.
    Affected if The cache contains password or credential data that was not properly purged after user sessions ended

You are affected if your WebSphere Application Server version is 6.1.0-6.1.0.15, 7.0.x, 8.0.x, or 8.5.x before the fixed patch levels AND multi-domain support is configured, causing password data to remain in the authentication cache.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply IBM WebSphere patches 6.1.0.45, 7.0.0.25, 8.0.0.5, or 8.5.0.1 and later. As a workaround, manually clear the authentication cache or disable multi-domain support until patching is complete.

Fix this in Websphere Application Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2012-3306 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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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