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Netweaver Application Server JavaApplication · Sap

CVE-2015-8840

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2016-04-08
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
The XML Data Archiving Service (XML DAS) in SAP NetWeaver AS Java does not check authorization, which allows remote authenticated users to obtain sensitive information, gain privileges, or possibly have unspecified other impact via requests to (1) webcontent/cas/cas_enter.jsp, (2) webcontent/cas/cas_validate.jsp, or (3) webcontent/aas/aas_store.jsp, aka SAP Security Note 1945215.

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

The XML Data Archiving Service (XML DAS) in SAP NetWeaver AS Java lacks authorization checks on three JSP endpoints (cas_enter.jsp, cas_validate.jsp, and aas_store.jsp), allowing any remote authenticated user to access these functions without proper privilege verification, leading to information disclosure and potential privilege escalation.

MitigationApply SAP Security Note 1945215 to implement proper authorization checks on the XML DAS endpoints. Additionally, review and restrict user role assignments to ensure only authorized personnel can access these functionalities.

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
Netweaver Application Server JavaApplication
Affected:all versions

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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. Confirm SAP NetWeaver AS Java is installed
    Check for the presence of SAP NetWeaver AS Java by reviewing running Java processes or checking for SAP Java directories (e.g., /usr/sap/<SID>/<instance>/j2ee or equivalent path). Query the SAP JVM process list using 'ps -ef | grep -i sap' or check SAP Visual Administrator.
    Affected if SAP NetWeaver AS Java is running and accessible on the network
  2. Verify XML DAS module is deployed
    Check if the XML Data Archiving Service (XML DAS) is deployed by examining the SAP NetWeaver Java deployment descriptors or checking for the 'xml Das' or 'xmldas' application in the SAP Deploy Manager or SAP Visual Administrator. Look for WAR files containing 'cas' or 'aas' in the name under the SAP instance deploy directory.
    Affected if XML DAS application module is deployed and active on the SAP AS Java instance
  3. Check for unauthenticated JSP endpoint access
    Attempt to access the three affected JSP endpoints via HTTP/HTTPS: /xmlDas/cas_enter.jsp, /xmlDas/cas_validate.jsp, and /xmlDas/aas_store.jsp. Use a web browser or curl command: 'curl -I http://<host>:<port>/xmlDas/cas_enter.jsp'. Observe if the page loads without requiring authorization.
    Affected if Any of these JSP pages return HTTP 200 (OK) without redirecting to a login page or requiring authentication credentials
  4. Verify authorization configuration on XML DAS endpoints
    Inspect the web.xml deployment descriptor for the XML DAS application (typically found in the WAR file under WEB-INF/web.xml) to check for security-constraint definitions. Look for <security-constraint> elements protecting the /cas_enter.jsp, /cas_validate.jsp, and /aas_store.jsp URL patterns.
    Affected if No security-constraint is defined for these JSP endpoints, or the constraint permits all authenticated users without role verification
  5. Review user role assignments for XML DAS
    Check the SAP Java security role assignments for XML DAS functionality using SAP Visual Administrator or by reviewing the XML DAS deployment descriptor for defined security roles. Examine which user groups are mapped to these roles.
    Affected if Broad or excessive user groups are assigned to XML DAS roles, allowing unauthorized users access to archiving functions

If SAP NetWeaver AS Java with XML DAS is running and the cas_enter.jsp, cas_validate.jsp, or aas_store.jsp endpoints are accessible without proper role-based authorization checks, the environment is vulnerable to CVE-2015-8840.

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 SAP Security Note 1945215 to implement proper authorization checks on the XML DAS endpoints. Additionally, review and restrict user role assignments to ensure only authorized personnel can access these functionalities.

Fix this in Netweaver Application Server Java Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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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-2015-8840 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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