CVE-2018-16957
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 · uneditedThe Oracle WebCenter Interaction 10.3.3 search service queryd.exe binary is compiled with the i1g2s3c4 hardcoded password. Authentication to the Oracle WCI search service uses this hardcoded password and cannot be customised by customers. An adversary able to access this service over a network could perform search queries to extract large quantities of sensitive information from the WCI installation. NOTE: this CVE is assigned by MITRE and isn't validated by Oracle because Oracle WebCenter Interaction Portal is out of support.
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 confidenceOracle WebCenter Interaction 10.3.3 search service (queryd.exe) contains a hardcoded password 'i1g2s3c4' embedded in the binary. The search service authenticates using this password, which cannot be customized or changed by customers. An unauthenticated remote attacker who can reach the service over the network can execute search queries to exfiltrate sensitive data from the WCI installation.
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= 10.3.3CVSS 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:3.0/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Oracle WebCenter Interaction installationCheck for the presence of the Oracle WebCenter Interaction installation directory, typically found under C:\Program Files\Oracle\WebCenter Interaction or C:\Oracle\WebCenter Interaction on Windows servers. On Linux, look under /opt/oracle/ or /oracle/. Also verify via installed programs list in Control Panel or ' Programs and Features'.Affected if Oracle WebCenter Interaction version 10.3.3 is found installed on the system
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Confirm the exact version numberLocate the version information in the installation directory. Check the 'about' page in the WCI portal admin interface, or look for a version file in the installation directory. The binary properties of queryd.exe may also contain version metadata.Affected if The installed version is exactly 10.3.3
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Verify queryd.exe search service is presentNavigate to the search service directory within the WCI installation (typically /search/ or /services/search/). Confirm that queryd.exe exists. Use Task Manager or 'tasklist' command to check if the queryd.exe process is currently running.Affected if queryd.exe is present and running on the system
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Check network exposure of the search serviceReview firewall rules and network configuration to determine if the queryd.exe service port (typically TCP port 8090 or configured port) is exposed to external networks. Use 'netstat -an' or network scanning tools to identify listening ports and their binding addresses. Check if the service binds to 0.0.0.0 or is accessible from non-localhost IP addresses.Affected if The queryd.exe service port is accessible from network addresses other than localhost, meaning it is exposed to potential remote attackers
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Inspect for hardcoded password in binaryOpen queryd.exe in a hex editor or use strings command (e.g., 'strings queryd.exe | grep -i password') to search for the literal string 'i1g2s3c4'. This hardcoded password will be present in the binary if the vulnerable version is installed.Affected if The string 'i1g2s3c4' is found embedded in the queryd.exe binary
A user is affected if Oracle WebCenter Interaction version 10.3.3 is installed with the queryd.exe search service running and exposed to the network, containing the hardcoded password 'i1g2s3c4'.
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.
dbcve · scopedSince Oracle WebCenter Interaction is out of support with no patch available, immediate network-based mitigation is required: restrict or block external access to the queryd.exe service via firewall rules or network segmentation. Consider migrating to a supported solution or disabling the search service if not business-critical.
- Oracle WebCenter Interaction Portal is end-of-life and out of support, as explicitly stated in the CVE description.
- No vendor patch or update is available for this vulnerability.
- No configuration change can mitigate this issue, as the description states the hardcoded password cannot be customized by customers.
- Immediate replacement of this EOL product with a currently supported alternative is recommended.
- If continued operation is absolutely required, network isolation (firewall/ACLs) limiting access to the search service to only authorized internal systems may reduce exposure, but does not eliminate the hardcoded credential risk.
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
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- 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 sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2018-16957 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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