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Websphere PortalApplication · Ibm

CVE-2014-0918

HIGH · 7.1 CVSS v2.0 Published 2014-05-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
80/100
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
Directory traversal vulnerability in IBM Eclipse Help System (IEHS) in IBM WebSphere Portal 6.1.0 through 6.1.0.6 CF27, 6.1.5 through 6.1.5.3 CF27, 7.0 through 7.0.0.2 CF27, and 8.0 before 8.0.0.1 CF06 allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via a crafted URL.

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 · high confidence

Directory traversal vulnerability in IBM Eclipse Help System (IEHS) allows remote attackers to read arbitrary files via crafted URLs containing path traversal sequences (../) in WebSphere Portal versions 6.1.0-6.1.0.6 CF27, 6.1.5-6.1.5.3 CF27, 7.0-7.0.0.2 CF27, and 8.0 before 8.0.0.1 CF06.

MitigationApply IBM WebSphere Portal Cumulative Fix (CF) packages 6.1.0.6 CF28+, 6.1.5.3 CF28+, 7.0.0.2 CF28+, or 8.0.0.1 CF06+ per IBM APAR PI18822; alternatively, restrict network access to the help system endpoints or disable IEHS if not required.

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 PortalApplication
Affected:= 6.1.0.0= 6.1.0.1= 6.1.0.2= 6.1.0.3= 6.1.0.4= 6.1.0.5= 6.1.0.6= 6.1.5.0= 6.1.5.1= 6.1.5.2= 6.1.5.3= 7.0.0.0

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
Complete
Integrity
None
Availability
None

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

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 WebSphere Portal installation and version
    Access the WebSphere Portal About page via the administration console or locate the version.info file in the PortalServer_root directory. The version is typically displayed as major.release.modification.fixlevel (e.g., 6.1.0.6, 7.0.0.2, 8.0.0.0).
    Affected if The installed version matches 6.1.0.x, 6.1.5.x, 7.0.0.x, or 8.0.x before 8.0.0.1 CF06.
  2. Determine the Cumulative Fix (CF) level
    Check the installed CF level via the WebSphere Portal Update Installer, the portal_version.properties file, or the About WebSphere Portal console which lists the cumulative fix pack number.
    Affected if The CF level is 27 or earlier for versions 6.1.0.0-6.1.0.6, 6.1.5.0-6.1.5.3, 7.0.0.0-7.0.0.2, or 8.0 before 8.0.0.1 CF06.
  3. Confirm IBM Eclipse Help System is enabled
    Verify the IEHS web application is running by accessing the help endpoint (typically /help/) on the Portal server. Check via the WebSphere Application Server admin console under Applications > WebSphere enterprise applications for 'Eclipse Help System' or 'IEHS' in application name.
    Affected if The help system application is installed and accessible on the server.
  4. Check for path traversal access
    Attempt a controlled test request to the help endpoint using path traversal sequences such as /help/../, or inspect HTTP access logs for suspicious ../ patterns targeting the help system URLs.
    Affected if The server processes path traversal sequences in help system URLs without proper sanitization.

You are affected if WebSphere Portal version 6.1.0.x, 6.1.5.x, 7.0.0.x, or 8.0.x (before 8.0.0.1 CF06) is running with CF27 or earlier and the IBM Eclipse Help System is enabled and accessible.

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 Portal Cumulative Fix (CF) packages 6.1.0.6 CF28+, 6.1.5.3 CF28+, 7.0.0.2 CF28+, or 8.0.0.1 CF06+ per IBM APAR PI18822; alternatively, restrict network access to the help system endpoints or disable IEHS if not required.

Fix this in Websphere Portal Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,580
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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-2014-0918 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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