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Weblogic ServerApplication · Oracle

CVE-2020-14638

MEDIUM · 6.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-07-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
Vulnerability in the Oracle WebLogic Server product of Oracle Fusion Middleware (component: Sample apps). Supported versions that are affected are 12.1.3.0.0, 12.2.1.3.0, 12.2.1.4.0 and 14.1.1.0.0. Easily exploitable vulnerability allows unauthenticated attacker with network access via HTTP to compromise Oracle WebLogic Server. Successful attacks require human interaction from a person other than the attacker and while the vulnerability is in Oracle WebLogic Server, attacks may significantly impact additional products. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in unauthorized update, insert or delete access to some of Oracle WebLogic Server accessible data as well as unauthorized read access to a subset of Oracle WebLogic Server accessible data. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 6.1 (Confidentiality and Integrity impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N).

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

Vulnerability in Oracle WebLogic Server's Sample apps component allows unauthenticated attackers with network access via HTTP to compromise the server. Successful exploitation requires human interaction and enables unauthorized read, insert, update, or delete access to a subset of accessible data. The attack may significantly impact additional products due to scope change.

MitigationApply Oracle Critical Patch Update or remove/disable the Sample apps component from production WebLogic Server deployments. If patches cannot be applied immediately, restrict network access to the sample applications or disable them entirely.

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
Weblogic ServerApplication
Affected:= 12.1.3.0.0= 12.2.1.3.0= 12.2.1.4.0= 14.1.1.0.0

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
Required
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
Low
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:L/I:L/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 WebLogic Server version
    Run 'java -jar wlserver.jar -version' or check the Oracle WebLogic Server installation directory for version information. Common paths: $ORACLE_HOME/wlserver or C:\Oracle\Middleware\wlserver
    Affected if The installed version matches 12.1.3.0.0, 12.2.1.3.0, 12.2.1.4.0, or 14.1.1.0.0 exactly (these are exact version matches per the affected versions list)
  2. Locate Sample apps component in installation
    Navigate to the WebLogic Server installation directory and look for a 'samples' or 'sample' folder. Typical paths include: $ORACLE_HOME/wlserver/samples or <weblogic_home>/samples. Check for subdirectories containing example applications
    Affected if The 'samples' directory exists and contains deployed sample applications in the WebLogic Server installation
  3. Check if sample applications are deployed to WebLogic
    Log into the WebLogic Server Administration Console (typically at http://<host>:7001/console) and navigate to Deployments to see if any sample applications are listed as deployed
    Affected if Sample applications appear in the Deployments section with 'Active' or 'Prepared' state
  4. Verify network accessibility of sample apps
    Attempt to access sample application URLs from a remote host. Common sample app endpoints include paths under /samples/ or specific example application URLs. Check if HTTP port 7001 (or custom port) is accessible from untrusted networks
    Affected if HTTP access to sample application URLs returns valid responses or the WebLogic HTTP port is exposed to untrusted network segments

You are affected if your WebLogic Server version matches 12.1.3.0.0, 12.2.1.3.0, 12.2.1.4.0, or 14.1.1.0.0 AND the Sample apps component is installed and accessible over the network, as exploitation requires both the vulnerable component and network accessibility.

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 Oracle Critical Patch Update or remove/disable the Sample apps component from production WebLogic Server deployments. If patches cannot be applied immediately, restrict network access to the sample applications or disable them entirely.

Fix this in Weblogic Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
20.0 hours of engineering $3,500
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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-2020-14638 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