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Websphere Application ServerApplication · Ibm

CVE-2014-6164

MEDIUM · 5.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2014-12-18
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
59/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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 8.0.x before 8.0.0.10 and 8.5.x before 8.5.5.4 allows remote attackers to spoof OpenID and OpenID Connect cookies, and consequently obtain sensitive information, 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 · moderate confidence

IBM WebSphere Application Server versions 8.0.x before 8.0.0.10 and 8.5.x before 8.5.5.4 contain a vulnerability in the OpenID and OpenID Connect implementation that allows remote attackers to spoof authentication cookies through crafted URLs, potentially enabling unauthorized access to sensitive information.

MitigationUpgrade IBM WebSphere Application Server to version 8.0.0.10 or later, or 8.5.5.4 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, review and restrict OpenID/Connect authentication flows and monitor for suspicious cookie manipulation.

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:= 8.0.0.0= 8.0.0.1= 8.0.0.2= 8.0.0.3= 8.0.0.4= 8.0.0.5= 8.0.0.6= 8.0.0.7= 8.0.0.8= 8.0.0.9= 8.5.0.0= 8.5.0.1

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
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 checks

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

  1. Identify installed WebSphere Application Server version
    Run the versionInfo script located in the bin directory of the WebSphere installation (e.g., /bin/versionInfo.sh on Unix or \bin\versionInfo.bat on Windows) or use the WAS admin console under 'Servers > Server Types > WebSphere application servers' to view the version. The output will show the exact version number in the format 8.0.x.x or 8.5.x.x.
    Affected if The version is 8.0.0.0 through 8.0.0.9, or 8.5.0.0 through 8.5.0.1. Versions 8.0.0.10 and later, or 8.5.5.4 and later are NOT affected.
  2. Confirm OpenID Connect feature is enabled
    Check the WebSphere application server configuration files. In the WAS admin console, navigate to 'Security > Global security' and examine the 'Authentication' settings. Look for OpenID Connect or OpenID in the enabled authentication mechanisms. Alternatively, examine the ibm-web-ext.xml descriptor file in deployed applications for 'openidConnectProvider' or 'oauthProvider' entries.
    Affected if OpenID Connect or OpenID authentication mechanism is enabled and configured in the WebSphere security settings.
  3. Review web.xml for OpenID-related servlet mappings
    Examine the web.xml deployment descriptor of applications that use OpenID authentication. Look for servlet definitions related to 'OpenID', 'OAuth', or 'Oidc' in the application's WEB-INF or META-INF directories. Check for URIs containing '/openid/', '/oidc/', or '/oauth/' in the servlet-mapping sections.
    Affected if The application web.xml contains OpenID, OIDC, or OAuth servlet mappings that handle authentication callbacks.
  4. Inspect authentication cookie configuration
    In the WebSphere admin console, go to 'Security > Global security > Authentication' and review the cookie settings. Check for custom cookie names used in OpenID Connect flows (commonly 'id_token', 'access_token', or 'session' cookies). Examine the 'WebSphere_Portal' or 'JSESSIONID' cookie configuration for any custom attributes related to OpenID.
    Affected if Custom authentication cookies are configured for OpenID Connect single sign-on flows.
  5. Check for suspicious cookie manipulation patterns in access logs
    Review HTTP access logs (typically in the WebSphere logs directory) for unusual URL patterns that may indicate cookie spoofing attempts. Look for URLs with unexpected query parameters that could be crafting authentication cookies, particularly those containing 'openid.', 'oauth.', or unusual base64-encoded values in cookie-related parameters.
    Affected if Log analysis reveals requests with crafted URLs targeting OpenID authentication endpoints that may indicate exploitation attempts.

You are affected if your WebSphere Application Server version is 8.0.0.0-8.0.0.9 or 8.5.0.0-8.5.0.1 AND OpenID Connect or OpenID authentication is enabled in your environment.

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

Upgrade IBM WebSphere Application Server to version 8.0.0.10 or later, or 8.5.5.4 or later. If immediate patching is not possible, review and restrict OpenID/Connect authentication flows and monitor for suspicious cookie manipulation.

Fix this in Websphere Application Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
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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-2014-6164 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data