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Netweaver Application Server JavaApplication · Sap

CVE-2019-0389

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-11-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
94/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable 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
An administrator of SAP NetWeaver Application Server Java (J2EE-Framework), (corrected in versions 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.31, 7.4, 7.5), may change privileges for all or some functions in Java Server, and enable users to execute functions, they are not allowed to execute otherwise.

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 privilege escalation vulnerability in SAP NetWeaver Application Server Java (J2EE-Framework). An administrator with malicious intent or who misconfigures the system can change privilege assignments for Java server functions, allowing users to execute functions they are not authorized to access. This bypasses the built-in role-based access controls of the J2EE security framework.

MitigationApply the SAP security patches for CVE-2019-0389 to the affected NetWeaver versions (7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.31, 7.4, 7.5). After patching, audit all custom privilege assignments to ensure no unauthorized elevation exists.

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:= 7.1= 7.2= 7.3= 7.4= 7.5= 7.31

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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/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 SAP NetWeaver AS Java version
    Execute the SAP j2ee/jcontrol process version check, or use SAP LM J2EE engine version display transaction (if available), or inspect the SAP installation directory for version.info files in the usr/sap/<SID>/SYS directory
    Affected if The installed version matches 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.31, 7.4, or 7.5
  2. Confirm J2EE Engine is running
    Check if the SAP J2EE engine processes (jstart, jcontrol, jdispatcher) are active on the system using process listing (ps -ef | grep -i j2ee) or SAP transaction SM37 for Java processes
    Affected if The J2EE engine components are active and the version from step 1 is in the affected list
  3. Verify J2EE Security Framework configuration
    Access the SAP Identity Management (IdM) console or J2EE Visual Administrator, navigate to Security > Permissions, and review the Java server function privilege mappings configured in the security.xml or related configuration files under usr/sap/<SID>/<instance>/j2ee/cluster/
    Affected if Custom privilege assignments exist that override default role-based access controls for Java server functions
  4. Review administrator privilege assignments
    Use SAP Visual Administrator or J2EE Admin tools to list all users/accounts with Administrative-level privileges, and cross-reference with the J2EE security role assignments in the usr/sap/<SID>/<instance>/j2ee/cluster/ node configuration files
    Affected if Any administrator account has been granted elevated privileges beyond their assigned J2EE security roles, or if role assignments have been manually modified from defaults

A system is affected if it runs SAP NetWeaver AS Java versions 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.31, 7.4, or 7.5 with the J2EE engine active and contains any custom privilege assignments that bypass standard role-based access controls.

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 security patches for CVE-2019-0389 to the affected NetWeaver versions (7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.31, 7.4, 7.5). After patching, audit all custom privilege assignments to ensure no unauthorized elevation exists.

Fix this in Netweaver Application Server Java Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2019-0389 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
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