CVE-2015-4938
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 7.x before 7.0.0.39, 8.0.x before 8.0.0.11, and 8.5.x before 8.5.5.7 allows remote attackers to spoof servlets and obtain sensitive information via unspecified 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 confidenceA vulnerability in IBM WebSphere Application Server allows remote attackers to spoof servlets and obtain sensitive information. The attack vector is unspecified in the available documentation. Affected versions include 7.x before 7.0.0.39, 8.0.x before 8.0.0.11, and 8.5.x before 8.5.5.7.
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= 7.0.0.1= 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= 7.0.0.11= 7.0.0.12CVSS 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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Identify installed WebSphere versionRun the versionInfo command from the bin directory (versionInfo.sh on Unix or versionInfo.bat on Windows) or check the About WebSphere Application Server page in the admin console under Troubleshooting. The output displays the version and edition installed.Affected if The version displayed is 7.x before 7.0.0.39, 8.0.x before 8.0.0.11, or 8.5.x before 8.5.5.7 (for example, 7.0.0.12, 8.0.0.10, or 8.5.5.6 would be affected).
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Confirm WebSphere edition and platformVerify the edition (Base, ND, Express, Liberty) and operating system from the versionInfo output or admin console About page. This confirms you are checking the correct product instance.Affected if Any edition of WebSphere Application Server 7.x, 8.0.x, or 8.5.x running on any supported platform matches the affected version ranges.
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Cross-reference with IBM's version listCompare your installed version number against the IBM-provided affected ranges: 7.0.0.1 through 7.0.0.38, 8.0.0.1 through 8.0.0.10, and 8.5.0.1 through 8.5.5.6. These specific minor versions and any versions in between are documented as vulnerable.Affected if Your installed version falls within any of these ranges and has not been patched to 7.0.0.39, 8.0.0.11, or 8.5.5.7 or later.
You are affected if your WebSphere Application Server installation shows a version in the 7.x series before 7.0.0.39, in the 8.0.x series before 8.0.0.11, or in the 8.5.x series before 8.5.5.7.
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 the IBM patches for versions 7.0.0.39, 8.0.0.11, and 8.5.5.7 or later as specified in the IBM Security Bulletin. Upgrade to a supported version of WebSphere if the affected versions are no longer under support.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-4938 — 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-2015-4938 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
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