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Websphere Application ServerApplication · Ibm

CVE-2019-4279

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-05-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 9.0.0.11 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
High EPSS 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
IBM WebSphere Application Server 8.5 and 9.0 could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the system with a specially-crafted sequence of serialized objects from untrusted sources. IBM X-Force ID: 160445.

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

IBM WebSphere Application Server versions 8.5 and 9.0 contain a critical remote code execution vulnerability allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code via specially crafted serialized Java objects. This is a Java deserialization flaw where untrusted serialized data processed by the application server can trigger deserialization of malicious objects leading to code execution.

MitigationApply IBM WebSphere patches (refer to IBM security bulletin for specific fix levels), restrict network exposure of WebSphere admin and remoting interfaces, and consider disabling or filtering Java deserialization for untrusted sources.

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
Websphere Application ServerApplication
Affected:>= 8.5.0.0, <= 8.5.5.15>= 9.0.0.0, <= 9.0.0.11= 7.0.0.0

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 installed WebSphere Application Server version
    Locate the installation directory and check the version file. On Linux/Unix, typically in /opt/IBM/WebSphere/AppServer/properties/version/ or via the AboutWebSphere application in the admin console. The version.info file in the installation root contains the exact version number.
    Affected if Version falls within 8.5.0.0-8.5.5.15, 9.0.0.0-9.0.0.11, or equals 7.0.0.0
  2. Determine if admin console is network-exposed
    Check network listeners and firewall rules for ports 9043 (default admin console HTTP) or 9443 (default admin console HTTPS). Review the deployment descriptor and virtual host mappings to confirm which ports the admin console is bound to.
    Affected if Admin console port is accessible from untrusted networks (internet or non-admin VLAN)
  3. Check SOAP connector exposure
    Review WebSphere SOAP connector configuration (default port 8879). Verify if the SOAPConnector is enabled and bound to a network-accessible interface by checking the server.xml or through the admin console under Servers > Server Types > WebSphere Application Servers > server_name > Communications > Ports.
    Affected if SOAP connector port 8879 is accessible from untrusted networks or accepts connections from non-trusted hosts
  4. Verify RMI/IIOP connector exposure
    Check the Object Request Broker (ORB) service configuration. Default ports are 2809 for IIOP. Inspect server.xml for ORB listener configuration and verify network accessibility.
    Affected if IIOP/RMI port 2809 is exposed to untrusted networks and accepts unauthenticated or untrusted connections

A user is affected if WebSphere Application Server version is 7.0.0.0, 8.5.0.0-8.5.5.15, or 9.0.0.0-9.0.0.11 AND the admin console, SOAP connector, or IIOP/RMI interface is accessible from untrusted networks, allowing deserialization of malicious Java objects.

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 9.0.0.11
Interim mitigation

Apply IBM WebSphere patches (refer to IBM security bulletin for specific fix levels), restrict network exposure of WebSphere admin and remoting interfaces, and consider disabling or filtering Java deserialization for untrusted sources.

Recommended fix High confidence

WebSphere Application Server 8.5.5.16+ or 9.0.0.12+ (latest 8.5.5.x or 9.0.0.x recommended)

  1. 1. Identify the current WebSphere Application Server version using the wsadmin.sh -version or aboutThisServer.sh commands
  2. 2. For WebSphere 8.5.x versions (8.5.0.0 through 8.5.5.15): Download and install WebSphere Application Server 8.5.5.16 or later from IBM Fix Central (https://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/)
  3. 3. For WebSphere 9.0.x versions (9.0.0.0 through 9.0.0.11): Download and install WebSphere Application Server 9.0.0.12 or later from IBM Fix Central
  4. 4. Apply the fix using IBM Installation Manager or manual installation following IBM's installation documentation
  5. 5. After installation, restart all WebSphere Application Server processes to load the updated libraries
  6. 6. Verify the fix by checking the installed version and reviewing the About This Server console output
Caveat Ensure application compatibility with newer fix pack; review IBM's migration guides for significant version jumps

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

Fix this in Websphere Application Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation8.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,960
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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-2019-4279 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
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data