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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 3 May 2022.
Virtual Desktop InfrastructureApplication · Oracle

CVE-2015-4852

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2015-11-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 3.5.2 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild High EPSS Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

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
The WLS Security component in Oracle WebLogic Server 10.3.6.0, 12.1.2.0, 12.1.3.0, and 12.2.1.0 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via a crafted serialized Java object in T3 protocol traffic to TCP port 7001, related to oracle_common/modules/com.bea.core.apache.commons.collections.jar. NOTE: the scope of this CVE is limited to the WebLogic Server product.

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

Critical deserialization vulnerability in Oracle WebLogic Server's WLS Security component allowing remote code execution via crafted serialized Java objects sent through the T3 protocol on port 7001. The vulnerability stems from insecure deserialization of data in the Apache Commons Collections library (oracle_common/modules/com.bea.core.apache.commons.collections.jar).

MitigationApply Oracle Critical Patch Updates (CPU) for CVE-2015-4852 corresponding to the affected WebLogic version (10.3.6.0, 12.1.2.0, 12.1.3.0, or 12.2.1.0). As an immediate workaround, disable or restrict the T3 protocol at the network level and ensure WebLogic is not exposed to untrusted networks.

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
Virtual Desktop InfrastructureApplication
Affected:<= 3.5.2
Storagetek Tape Analytics Sw ToolApplication
Affected:= 2.3
Weblogic ServerApplication
Affected:= 10.3.6.0.0= 12.1.2.0.0= 12.1.3.0.0= 12.2.1.0.0

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
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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 WebLogic Server installation
    Locate the WebLogic installation directory (typically under /Oracle/Middleware or C:\Oracle\Middleware) and identify the version from the registry or config.xml file in the domain configuration directory.
    Affected if WebLogic Server is found and the version matches 10.3.6.0.0, 12.1.2.0.0, 12.1.3.0.0, or 12.2.1.0.0
  2. Verify T3 protocol is enabled
    Examine the WebLogic domain config.xml (usually in config/fmwconfig/servers/<server_name>/) and check for T3 protocol listener configurations on port 7001, or run a netstat command to confirm port 7001 is listening.
    Affected if Port 7001 is open and listening, indicating T3 protocol is active
  3. Confirm WLS Security component is in use
    Check if the WLS Security application is deployed by reviewing the deployments in the WebLogic Administration Console or listing deployed applications via WLST.
    Affected if WLS Security application (wls-wast) is deployed and running on the affected server
  4. Check Apache Commons Collections library version
    Inspect the file oracle_common/modules/com.bea.core.apache.commons.collections.jar within the WebLogic installation and verify its version matches the vulnerable library version used in the affected releases.
    Affected if The Commons Collections library bundled with WebLogic contains the vulnerable classes exploitable via deserialization

The environment is affected if WebLogic Server version 10.3.6.0.0, 12.1.2.0.0, 12.1.3.0.0, or 12.2.1.0.0 is installed with T3 protocol enabled on port 7001 and the vulnerable Commons Collections library is present.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 3.5.2
Vendor patch www.oracle.com →
Interim mitigation

Apply Oracle Critical Patch Updates (CPU) for CVE-2015-4852 corresponding to the affected WebLogic version (10.3.6.0, 12.1.2.0, 12.1.3.0, or 12.2.1.0). As an immediate workaround, disable or restrict the T3 protocol at the network level and ensure WebLogic is not exposed to untrusted networks.

Recommended fix High confidence

WebLogic Server 10.3.6.0.12+ (PS9), 12.1.3.0.9+, or 12.2.1.3+; or Oracle Critical Patch Update October 2015 and later

  1. 1. Identify the exact WebLogic Server version currently installed by checking the Oracle WebLogic Console or using the version utility in the ORACLE_HOME directory.
  2. 2. For WebLogic Server 10.3.6.0.x: Apply Oracle Critical Patch Update (CPU) October 2015 or later, which includes the fix for CVE-2015-4852. Alternatively, upgrade to WebLogic Server 10.3.6.0.12 or later patch set.
  3. 3. For WebLogic Server 12.1.2.x: Apply Oracle Critical Patch Update October 2015 or later. Alternatively, upgrade to WebLogic Server 12.1.3.0.9 or later.
  4. 4. For WebLogic Server 12.1.3.x: Apply Oracle Critical Patch Update October 2015 or later. Alternatively, upgrade to WebLogic Server 12.1.3.0.9 or later.
  5. 5. For WebLogic Server 12.2.1.0.x: Apply Oracle Critical Patch Update October 2015 or later. Alternatively, upgrade to WebLogic Server 12.2.1.3 or later.
  6. 6. After patching or upgrading, verify the version using the command: java -jar wlserver_10.3.6.0/server/lib/weblogic.jar -verbose or check through the Administration Console.
  7. 7. Test the fix by attempting the vulnerability check to ensure T3/IIOP protocols are properly secured or the vulnerable commons-collections library is replaced.
Caveat Upgrading to newer WebLogic versions may require application compatibility testing; some deprecated APIs or configuration changes may affect existing deployments

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

Fix this in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
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  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
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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-2015-4852 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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