CVE-2014-3021
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 · uneditedIBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS) 7.0 before 7.0.0.35, 8.0 before 8.0.0.10, and 8.5 before 8.5.5.4 does not properly handle HTTP headers, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive cookie and authentication data via an unspecified HTTP method.
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 confidenceIBM WebSphere Application Server versions 7.0 before 7.0.0.35, 8.0 before 8.0.0.10, and 8.5 before 8.5.5.4 contains an improper HTTP header handling vulnerability that allows remote attackers to intercept sensitive cookie and authentication data via an unspecified HTTP method.
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= 7.0= 7.0.0.1= 7.0.0.2= 7.0.0.3= 7.0.0.4= 7.0.0.5= 7.0.0.6= 7.0.0.7= 7.0.0.8= 7.0.0.9= 7.0.0.10= 7.0.0.11CVSS 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
- Partial
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Locate WebSphere installation directoryIdentify the WebSphere Application Server installation path, typically found under /opt/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer or C:\IBM\WebSphere\AppServer on Windows. The bin directory within contains the version checking utility.Affected if The installation directory cannot be located or verified as a WebSphere installation.
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Determine installed WebSphere versionRun the versionInfo.sh script (Linux/Unix) or versionInfo.bat (Windows) from the bin directory. Alternatively, check the product.xml file in the properties directory of the installation. Record the full version number including the fix pack level (e.g., 7.0.0.25).Affected if Unable to retrieve a definitive version number from the installation.
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Compare version against affected rangesCompare your installed version to the vulnerable ranges: 7.0.0.0 through 7.0.0.34, 8.0.0.0 through 8.0.0.9, and 8.5.0.0 through 8.5.5.3. Versions before 7.0.0.35, 8.0.0.10, or 8.5.5.4 are within the affected range.Affected if Your installed version falls within 7.0 before 7.0.0.35, 8.0 before 8.0.0.10, or 8.5 before 8.5.5.4.
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Verify HTTP channels are in useAccess the WebSphere Administrative Console and navigate to Servers > Server Types > Web application servers > server_name > Web container settings > Web container. Confirm that HTTP transport chains are configured and active.Affected if HTTP channels are enabled and the version is within the affected ranges listed above.
You are affected if your WebSphere Application Server version is 7.0.0.0-7.0.0.34, 8.0.0.0-8.0.0.9, or 8.5.0.0-8.5.5.3 and HTTP transport is configured.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataApply IBM WebSphere patches 7.0.0.35, 8.0.0.10, or 8.5.5.4 or later to address the improper HTTP header handling. Consider implementing TLS/SSL to protect cookie and session data in transit.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-3021 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2014-3021 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data