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Netweaver Application Server JavaApplication · Sap

CVE-2018-2503

HIGH · 7.4 CVSS v3.1 Published 2018-12-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
79/100
Remediation priority · High
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
By default, the SAP NetWeaver AS Java keystore service does not sufficiently restrict the access to resources that should be protected. This has been fixed in SAP NetWeaver AS Java (ServerCore versions 7.11, 7.20, 7.30, 7.31, 7.40, 7.50).

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

SAP NetWeaver AS Java keystore service has insufficient access control restrictions on protected resources by default, allowing unauthorized access to sensitive keystore materials. This broken access control vulnerability enables attackers to potentially retrieve cryptographic keys or certificates that should be protected.

MitigationApply the SAP NetWeaver AS Java patch (ServerCore versions 7.11, 7.20, 7.30, 7.31, 7.40, 7.50) to fix the insufficient keystore access restrictions. Verify proper keystore service configuration post-patch.

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:= 7.11= 7.20= 7.30= 7.31= 7.40= 7.50

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
Adjacent
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify installed SAP NetWeaver AS Java version
    Execute the SAP J2EE engine version check: log into SAP NetWeaver Administrator (NWA) and navigate to Operations > System > Overview, or use the SAP MMC (Microsoft Management Console) snap-in and check the instance details. Alternatively, check the file system at <SAP_INSTALL_DIR>/usr/sap/<SID>/<instance>/j2ee/cluster/node<number>/cluster.config for version information.
    Affected if The installed version equals 7.11, 7.20, 7.30, 7.31, 7.50 (specifically one of these exact versions).
  2. Locate the keystore service configuration
    Access the SAP NetWeaver Administrator web interface and navigate to Configuration > Security > Keystore or use the Visual Administrator tool (for older versions) to locate the keystore service configuration under Services > Keystore Service.
    Affected if The keystore service is present and configured in the environment.
  3. Verify keystore service access control settings
    Within the keystore service configuration, examine the access control list (ACL) or permission settings that govern which users or roles can access keystore entries. Check if anonymous or unauthenticated access is permitted to sensitive keystore materials.
    Affected if Anonymous access is permitted, or the ACL allows unauthorized users to view or export keystore entries.
  4. Test keystore service endpoint accessibility
    Attempt to access the keystore service URL endpoint (typically under /webdynpro/resources/sap.com/tc~km~keystore~webui) without providing credentials, or use a web browser to navigate to the keystore service resources and observe if access is granted without authentication.
    Affected if The keystore service resources are accessible without authentication or with low-privilege credentials.

A user is affected if their SAP NetWeaver AS Java version exactly matches 7.11, 7.20, 7.30, 7.31, or 7.50 AND the keystore service allows unauthenticated or unauthorized access to sensitive keystore materials.

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 the SAP NetWeaver AS Java patch (ServerCore versions 7.11, 7.20, 7.30, 7.31, 7.40, 7.50) to fix the insufficient keystore access restrictions. Verify proper keystore service configuration post-patch.

Fix this in Netweaver Application Server Java Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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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-2018-2503 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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