CVE-2019-4305
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 · uneditedIBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty could allow a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information caused by the improper setting of a cookie. IBM X-Force ID: 160951.
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 · moderate confidenceIBM WebSphere Application Server Liberty contains a vulnerability where improper cookie configuration allows a remote attacker to obtain sensitive information. The cookie handling mechanism does not properly set security attributes, potentially exposing session or authentication data.
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< 19.0.0.10CVSS 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
- Low
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the installed WebSphere Liberty versionRun 'java -version' to confirm Java, then check the Liberty installation by reviewing the 'productInfo version' output or inspect the 'wlp/lib/versions/webSphereVersion.properties' file. Alternatively, check the 'server.xml' for the <productInfo> element.Affected if The installed version is lower than 19.0.0.10 (for example, 19.0.0.9, 19.0.0.6, 18.0.0.x, etc.)
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Locate the cookie configuration fileIn the Liberty profile, locate the 'server.xml' configuration file typically found in the 'wlp/usr/servers/<serverName>/' directory. This file controls the HttpSession cookies.Affected if The server.xml file exists and is being used to configure the Liberty server.
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Inspect cookie security attributes in server.xmlOpen the server.xml file and search for the <httpSession> element. Check whether the 'cookieSecure', 'cookieHttpOnly', and 'cookieSameSite' attributes are configured. Also verify if a custom 'sessionCookie' element is defined without these security attributes.Affected if The <httpSession> or <sessionCookie> element is present but missing one or more of: cookieSecure="true", cookieHttpOnly="true", or a defined cookieSameSite attribute (such as 'Strict' or 'Lax')
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Verify live HTTP response headers for cookie attributesStart the Liberty server and use a browser developer tool or a command-line tool like 'curl -I https://<server>:<port>/' to inspect the Set-Cookie header in the HTTP response. Look for the presence of the 'Secure', 'HttpOnly', and 'SameSite' attributes on the JSESSIONID cookie.Affected if The Set-Cookie header for JSESSIONID or other session cookies is missing the 'Secure', 'HttpOnly', or 'SameSite' attribute, or shows 'SameSite=None' without 'Secure'.
You are affected if your Liberty version is below 19.0.0.10 and your cookie configuration lacks one or more security attributes (Secure, HttpOnly, or SameSite) in server.xml or in the observed HTTP response headers.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 data19.0.0.10
Review and correct cookie configuration in WebSphere Liberty to ensure proper secure, HttpOnly, and SameSite attributes are set. Apply IBM security patches for WebSphere Application Server.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2019-4305 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2019-4305 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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