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OfbizApplication · Apache

CVE-2019-0189

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-09-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 16.11.06 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 java.io.ObjectInputStream is known to cause Java serialisation issues. This issue here is exposed by the "webtools/control/httpService" URL, and uses Java deserialization to perform code execution. In the HttpEngine, the value of the request parameter "serviceContext" is passed to the "deserialize" method of "XmlSerializer". Apache Ofbiz is affected via two different dependencies: "commons-beanutils" and an out-dated version of "commons-fileupload" Mitigation: Upgrade to 16.11.06 or manually apply the commits from OFBIZ-10770 and OFBIZ-10837 on branch 16

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

Apache OFBiz contains a critical Java deserialization vulnerability exposed via the 'webtools/control/httpService' URL. The 'serviceContext' request parameter is passed unsafely to XmlSerializer's deserialize method, allowing remote code execution. The vulnerability stems from two vulnerable dependencies: commons-beanutils and an outdated commons-fileupload library.

MitigationUpgrade to Apache OFBiz version 16.11.06 or later, which addresses the vulnerable dependencies. Alternatively, manually apply commits OFBIZ-10770 and OFBIZ-10837 to branch 16 to patch the deserialization issue.

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, < 16.11.06

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
    Locate the OFBiz installation directory and look for the version manifest. Typically found in 'framework/ofbiz/manifest' or check the build file (build.gradle or pom.xml) for the version property.
    Affected if OFBiz is present and the version is 16.11.01 through 16.11.05 inclusive.
  2. Confirm installed OFBiz version
    Check the version file or build configuration in the OFBiz root directory. Look for a version file or execute: grep -r 'version' build.gradle 2>/dev/null | head -5
    Affected if The reported version falls within >= 16.11.01 and < 16.11.06.
  3. Determine if webtools component is active
    Inspect the 'framework/webtools' directory exists within the OFBiz installation. The vulnerable endpoint '/webtools/control/httpService' is part of this component.
    Affected if The webtools component is present and the application is running.
  4. Verify vulnerable dependencies are in use
    Inspect the 'runtime/lib' or 'framework/ofbiz/lib' directories for commons-beanutils.jar. Also check the build configuration for commons-fileupload version.
    Affected if commons-beanutils is present and commons-fileupload version is older than 1.3.3 or unspecified in the affected version range.
  5. Confirm network exposure of vulnerable endpoint
    Check if the OFBiz server is accessible on port 8443 (SSL) or 8080 (HTTP). The endpoint webtools/control/httpService may be reachable without authentication.
    Affected if The webtools interface is exposed on a network-accessible port without proper access controls.

You are affected if Apache OFBiz version 16.11.01 through 16.11.05 is running with the webtools component accessible and vulnerable dependencies present.

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 16.11.06 or later
Fixed in 16.11.06
Interim mitigation

Upgrade to Apache OFBiz version 16.11.06 or later, which addresses the vulnerable dependencies. Alternatively, manually apply commits OFBIZ-10770 and OFBIZ-10837 to branch 16 to patch the deserialization issue.

Recommended fix High confidence

16.11.06

  1. Backup the current Apache OFBiz installation and all custom configurations, scripts, and data
  2. Stop the currently running OFBiz instance
  3. Download Apache OFBiz version 16.11.06 from the official Apache repository (https://ofbiz.apache.org/download.html)
  4. Extract the new 16.11.06 version to the target installation directory
  5. Migrate any custom configurations, plugins, or data from the backup to the new installation
  6. Start the OFBiz 16.11.06 instance
  7. Verify the webtools/control/httpService endpoint is no longer vulnerable by confirming the deserialization vulnerability is patched
  8. Test critical business workflows to ensure the upgrade did not break existing functionality
Caveat Review release notes between 16.11.01-16.11.05 and 16.11.06 for any configuration or API changes that may affect custom components

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

Fix this in Ofbiz Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
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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-2019-0189 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