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Weblogic ServerApplication · Oracle

CVE-2020-14859

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-10-21
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
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
Vulnerability in the Oracle WebLogic Server product of Oracle Fusion Middleware (component: Core). Supported versions that are affected are 10.3.6.0.0, 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 IIOP, T3 to compromise Oracle WebLogic Server. Successful attacks of this vulnerability can result in takeover of Oracle WebLogic Server. CVSS 3.1 Base Score 9.8 (Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability impacts). CVSS Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H).

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

Unauthenticated remote code execution vulnerability in Oracle WebLogic Server's Core component allows attackers to compromise the server via IIOP or T3 network protocols without any credentials. The CVSS 9.8 score indicates complete confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromise leading to full server takeover.

MitigationApply Oracle Critical Patch Update (October 2020 or later) for WebLogic Server. As an interim measure, disable or restrict T3/IIOP protocols at the network level or disable the vulnerable channels if not required.

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:= 10.3.6.0.0= 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
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 WebLogic Server installation
    Locate WebLogic installation directory by searching for 'weblogic.jar' or checking common paths such as $ORACLE_HOME/wlserver_*/modules or C:\Oracle\Middleware\wlserver_*
    Affected if WebLogic Server is not found, then this CVE does not apply
  2. Determine installed WebLogic Server version
    Check the manifest file in the WebLogic installation: look for version in PRODUCT_VERSION or Implementation-Version fields within the/weblogic.jar/META-INF/MANIFEST.MF file, or run: java -jar $ORACLE_HOME/wlserver_*/server/lib/weblogic.jar -version
    Affected if Installed version equals any of these: 10.3.6.0.0, 12.1.3.0.0, 12.2.1.3.0, 12.2.1.4.0, or 14.1.1.0.0
  3. Verify T3 protocol is enabled
    Check WebLogic configuration files (config.xml) for network access channels configured with protocol T3. Also verify the default admin port (usually 7001) is accessible over T3 by checking the Network Access Point configurations in the WebLogic Administration Console under Environment > Servers > [Server Name] > Protocols
    Affected if T3 protocol is enabled and the admin port or custom T3 port is reachable from the network
  4. Verify IIOP protocol is enabled
    Check WebLogic configuration for IIOP by inspecting the Server configuration in the WebLogic Administration Console under Environment > Servers > [Server Name] > Protocols > IIOP, or review the config.xml file for <iiop> or <iiop-message> enabled settings
    Affected if IIOP protocol is enabled and the IIOP port (usually 7002) is reachable from the network

Your environment is affected if WebLogic Server version matches any of the affected versions (10.3.6.0.0, 12.1.3.0.0, 12.2.1.3.0, 12.2.1.4.0, or 14.1.1.0.0) AND either T3 or IIOP protocol is enabled and accessible over the network.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Oracle Critical Patch Update (October 2020 or later) for WebLogic Server. As an interim measure, disable or restrict T3/IIOP protocols at the network level or disable the vulnerable channels if not required.

Recommended fix High confidence

WebLogic Server 12.2.1.4 or later, or apply Oracle CPU October 2020 patch for your respective version

  1. Verify the current WebLogic Server version by checking the installation directory and version files
  2. Download Oracle Critical Patch Update October 2020 (or subsequent CPU) from Oracle Support
  3. Apply the appropriate patch for your specific version: 10.3.6.0.0, 12.1.3.0.0, 12.2.1.3.0, or 12.2.1.4.0
  4. For version 14.1.1.0.0, apply the corresponding patch from the same CPU or upgrade to the latest supported version
  5. Restart all WebLogic Server instances after patching
  6. Verify the patch was applied successfully by checking the version and testing the IIOP/T3 interfaces
  7. Alternatively, upgrade to WebLogic Server 12.2.1.4.0 or later which contains the fix
  8. Ensure network access controls limit IIOP and T3 protocols to trusted sources as an additional mitigation
Caveat Review Oracle patch documentation for any post-patch requirements; some patches may require additional configuration changes or Java updates

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

Fix this in Weblogic Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,080
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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-2020-14859 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