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OfbizApplication · Apache

CVE-2018-17200

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-09-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 16.11.05 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 Apache OFBiz HTTP engine (org.apache.ofbiz.service.engine.HttpEngine.java) handles requests for HTTP services via the /webtools/control/httpService endpoint. This service takes the `serviceContent` parameter in the request and deserializes it using XStream. This `XStream` instance is slightly guarded by disabling the creation of `ProcessBuilder`. However, this can be easily bypassed (and in multiple ways). Mitigation: Upgrade to 16.11.06 or manually apply the following commits on branch 16 r1850017+1850019

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 Apache OFBiz's HTTP engine where the /webtools/control/httpService endpoint deserializes the serviceContent parameter using XStream. Only ProcessBuilder creation is blocked, which can be easily bypassed, allowing unauthenticated remote code execution.

MitigationUpgrade to Apache OFBiz 16.11.06 or later, or manually apply commits r1850017 and r1850019 to properly secure the XStream deserialization.

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
OfbizApplication
Affected:>= 16.11.01, <= 16.11.05

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 Apache OFBiz installation and version
    Locate the OFBiz installation directory and check the version. In the root directory, look for a VERSION file or check build.gradle/framework/framework/src/main/resources/version.properties for the version number. Compare against the affected range: 16.11.01 through 16.11.05 inclusive.
    Affected if The installed version falls within 16.11.01 to 16.11.05 inclusive.
  2. Confirm webtools component is enabled
    Check if the webtools component is deployed and accessible. In an OFBiz installation, verify the presence of the webtools folder under the applications directory and that it has not been disabled in the ofbiz-component.xml configuration file.
    Affected if The webtools component is installed and enabled.
  3. Verify httpService endpoint is accessible
    Check if the /webtools/control/httpService endpoint responds. This can be done by attempting a request to the endpoint: http://<host>:<port>/webtools/control/httpService. A responsive endpoint indicates the attack surface exists.
    Affected if The /webtools/control/httpService endpoint is accessible and responds to requests.
  4. Check XStream library presence
    Inspect the OFBiz classpath for XStream library files. In the framework/framework/build/lib or in the packaged application, look for xstream-.jar files. The vulnerability exploits XStream deserialization in the serviceContent parameter.
    Affected if XStream library is present in the OFBiz classpath.

A user is affected if they run Apache OFBiz version 16.11.01 through 16.11.05 with the webtools component enabled and the httpService endpoint exposed to network access.

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 16.11.05
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Apache OFBiz 16.11.06 or later, or manually apply commits r1850017 and r1850019 to properly secure the XStream deserialization.

Recommended fix High confidence

16.11.06

  1. 1. Stop the running Apache OFBiz service
  2. 2. Create a complete backup of the current OFBiz installation directory and database
  3. 3. Download Apache OFBiz version 16.11.06 from the official Apache download repository (https://ofbiz.apache.org/download.html)
  4. 4. Extract the new version to a clean location
  5. 5. Migrate configuration files from the old installation to the new 16.11.06 installation (especially ofbiz-containers.xml, ofbiz.properties, and any custom configurations)
  6. 6. Start the OFBiz 16.11.06 service
  7. 7. Verify the /webtools/control/httpService endpoint no longer accepts the vulnerable serviceContent parameter
  8. 8. Test critical business functionalities to ensure the upgrade did not break existing operations
Caveat Standard OFBiz upgrade - review release notes for deprecation notices and test thoroughly before production deployment

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

Fix this in Ofbiz Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,120
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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-2018-17200 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
  • 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