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Operations ManagerApplication · Hp

CVE-2016-1985

CRITICAL · 10.0 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-01-30
Patch available
A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
HPE Operations Manager 8.x and 9.0 on Windows allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary commands via a crafted serialized Java object, related to the Apache Commons Collections library.

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

This is a Java deserialization vulnerability in HPE Operations Manager 8.x and 9.0 on Windows. Attackers can send a crafted serialized Java object (specifically exploiting the Apache Commons Collections library gadget chain) to achieve remote code execution without authentication. This is a critical flaw that allows complete system compromise.

MitigationUpgrade HPE Operations Manager to the vendor-provided patched version, or apply HP's specific security patch for this vulnerability. If immediate patching is not possible, consider network segmentation to limit exposure of the affected service.

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
Operations ManagerApplication
Affected:= 8.1= 8.10= 8.16= 9.0

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
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/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 HPE Operations Manager installation and version
    Check the Windows registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Hewlett-Packard\OperationsManager for the Version value, or look in the installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\HP\HP Operations Manager) for version.txt or version.info files
    Affected if The installed version matches 8.1, 8.10, 8.16, or 9.0 exactly
  2. Confirm Apache Commons Collections library presence
    Search for the file commons-collections*.jar in the HPE Operations Manager installation directory, specifically under the lib or java/lib subdirectories where Java libraries are stored
    Affected if The commons-collections.jar file exists in the product's Java library path (the vulnerability exists in this library's gadget chain)
  3. Verify the management interface is network-accessible
    Check if the HPE Operations Manager management port (default TCP 3091 or configured port) is listening and accessible from the network using netstat -an | findstr 3091 or by reviewing firewall rules
    Affected if The management port is bound to a network interface accessible from untrusted networks (the deserialization vector is exposed)
  4. Review Java deserialization endpoints in logs
    Examine HPE Operations Manager logs in the logs/ or opc/logs/ directory for any Java deserialization exceptions, ClassNotFoundException, or unusual serialized object warnings in the application logs
    Affected if Logs show repeated deserialization errors or evidence of gadget chain exploitation attempts

A user is affected if HPE Operations Manager version 8.1, 8.10, 8.16, or 9.0 is installed AND the Apache Commons Collections library is present AND the management service is network-accessible.

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
Patch available Apply the vendor patch
Vendor patch h20566.www2.hpe.com →
Interim mitigation

Upgrade HPE Operations Manager to the vendor-provided patched version, or apply HP's specific security patch for this vulnerability. If immediate patching is not possible, consider network segmentation to limit exposure of the affected service.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Operations Manager 8.17+ (8.x) or 9.0+ with vendor patch applied

  1. 1. Review the HPE security bulletin at the vendor URL to identify the specific fixed version for your Operations Manager release.
  2. 2. For HPE Operations Manager 8.x, upgrade to version 8.17 or later which contains the patched Apache Commons Collections library.
  3. 3. For HPE Operations Manager 9.0, upgrade to version 9.0 or later as specified in the vendor patch documentation.
  4. 4. Download the update from the HPE support portal using your authorized account.
  5. 5. Test the upgrade in a non-production environment before deploying to production.
  6. 6. Apply the upgrade during a scheduled maintenance window.
  7. 7. Verify the patch was applied successfully by checking the product version and reviewing release notes.
Caveat Review HPE release notes for any configuration or compatibility changes between your current and target version

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

Fix this in Operations Manager Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,480
Get the patch applied

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,968.

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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-2016-1985 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